bullet with your name on it
by demonika
Summary: Somehow Ocelot is risking Volgin s trust to help Snake, the other doesn t know why he is putting his life in mortal danger... neither is he aware of what the cat might do to gain the lost trust back...
1. Chapter 1

He grabbed a mass of brown hair in his fist forcefully, the revolver pressed dangerously at the other`s neck as he forced him to look him in his eyes, "got what you wanted?"

Snake grunted and tried to pull away his hair from the other`s grasp, the immediacy of the contact was killing him, not to mention that the blood getting lost from his leg was draining him. Nonetheless, he kept his eyes locked with the other pair, narrowing them to gain focus. The mud beneath his knees was staining his pants, the pain was getting unbearable.

Ocelot moved the nose of the revolver away, making sure that the other was in no condition to fight back. He was angrier at himself for letting that happen, but even the most solid of soldiers needed to be taught a lesson, even if that meant that the pain was not only directed to them. Now looking in the depth of those eyes, he sensed the other struggling not to lose consciousness as his breath snagged.

"Good job boys," Ocelot shouted to the Spetsnaz squad behind them, waiting for his orders, "return to your posts immediately, I'll be able to handle him." There was only a fraction of a doubtful delay before all of the soldiers dispersed away, leaving the two in the middle of the wrecked and abandoned facility where Sokolov had once been kept. Once sure that no one was watching, Ocelot released his hold on his hair and laid him down on the dirt, "what the fuck were you thinking?" his voice was full of frustration as he ran the same hand through his own hair.

"I…" Snake tried to get up into a sitting position. Ocelot stood there and watched with clenched teeth, unable to lower his sense of worth enough to help him, but he doubted even if he would have offered the older might have accepted. Successfully leaning onto the rubble of a broken wall, Snake looked down at his leg; all of the fabric was covered in blood. "I didn`t have time."

Ocelot furrowed his eyebrows as he bent down to observe the other`s wounded limb, he pressed two fingers near the spot where the bullet had hit, earning a pained hiss from the other. "you shouldn`t have fought the whole Ocelot unit on your own, why didn`t you damn wait for me?" He was getting more and more frustrated. Looking down at his bloodied up hand, he asked, "Do you have any bandages?"

Snake knew he was fainting but he strained against it, he couldn`t fall in front of the blonde, no more than he already had. He knew he had no bandages, no weapons, and he wanted to voice out the words but he couldn`t find the strength. The face nearing him kept flying out of sight and at last he had to give in to the reality, he couldn`t hold on for any longer.

Ocelot grunted and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. This was expected, if only Snake hadn`t been such and ass and trusted him, he could have been able to provide him an access to the legacy. All that was needed was patience and time, both of which were lacking at the moment. He had told Snake that he could help him only if he stopped being restless, but that`s what he was, restless. And that`s what the pale soldier liked about him. A small ironic smile appeared on Ocelot`s sharp features as he opened his eyes to look down at the peaceful face, trying hard to shake the thought away as quickly as it had come.

He opened his eyes to the dark surroundings; the only source of light was coming from the fireplace at the side and the slight light coming in from the window behind him. He was in Sokolov`s room. As he tried to sit up, a sharp pain coursed through his whole leg, making him wince.

"how`s your leg?" the quiet voice had come from the far corner, Snake looked up to meet the two orbs glistening in the moonlight. The gaze was penetrating. He watched the owner of those eyes spin a revolver between his fingers. He was leaned against the far wall; Snake noticed the absence of his shirt when he looked down at his vested chest.

He looked down at his leg to find it wrapped in some thick fabric, "it's… uh… better." Snake succeeded in pulling himself up and said with slight difficulty. There was silence for a few moments, the only sounds coming were the soft clicking of the gun as it danced in Ocelot`s grip. Then Snake asked, "Did you carry me all the way here?"

"no." the clicking continued, a hint of sarcasm in the pale`s voice, "I made the GRU do it for me."

Snake frowned.

"Of course _I_ did it, who else?"

It was getting awkward for Snake to carry out a conversation without having been able to see the other`s face properly because the dim light was making it awfully hard for him to focus. "Why are you still here?"

Ocelot took a few steps forward, the clicking sound stopped just as he placed the revolver back in its holder, wrong once but then in its proper place. "I couldn`t have let you rot here all alone, could I? if there`s gonna be some fun, I might as well witness it." he neared Snake and crouched down beside him, his flawless face completely visible in the light coming in from the window. Ocelot took out a breath and Snake could feel it on his face because of the proximity. A chill ran through his spine as Ocelot held out his hand, Snake looked down at his outstretched fingers and took the boss`s bandana from him, their fingers brushing ever so slightly.

When Ocelot backed away, Snake let out a breath he didn`t know he had been holding. He looked down at his bandana and sighed, remembering that he had dropped it while fighting an ocelot soldier. Snake looked up at the soldier standing a few feet away, his back facing him. He couldn`t help but ask, since the weather was not that hot and the other was standing near the burning flames "why aren`t you wearing your shirt?"

He noticed Ocelot`s body visibly stiffen but his voice was indifferent, as he spoke without turning around, "what do you expect is wrapped around your wound?"

"Why didn`t you use mine?" Snake asked after a short pause in which he glanced down at his leg.

Ocelot turned around, slowly, and glared at Snake, "since you have failed to notice, I don`t have a habit out of taking off shirts of unconscious men."

An amused smile appeared on Snake`s lips as he shrugged lightly and let the matter go. Ocelot narrowed his eyes at him but didn`t say anything either. He turned forwards again, slightly aware of the gaze on his back. It was only a matter of time before Ocelot turned again and sighed, "you better take some rest, I`ve arranged the medicines to be brought tomorrow morning."

"So you are going to be staying here for the night?" Snake watched as Ocelot sat down in front of him.

There was a small pause, "once and for real." Ocelot smirked lightly, "yeah I'm staying here." Snake narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously, that made the other let out a low chuckle, "I've made myself clear of my intentions, I don`t do anything that involves stripping." Snake raised his eyebrows at him, Ocelot stared back defiantly. After a moment or so, when Snake was sure that Ocelot was not joking, he unbuttoned his own shirt too and took it off for sleeping. Ocelot got up and walked back to the corner that had been occupied by him before Snake had gotten up, while Snake placed his shirt at the side and let his head fall lightly to the floor. He adjusted his gaze up at the ceiling.

After a while of silence, the clicking of the revolver in Ocelot`s hand began again as he stood there leaned against the wall watching the injured soldier`s breathing become deep. These sounds rocked Snake to sleep as the other kept standing there wide awake, continuing to spin the gun as the night dragged on.


	2. Chapter 2

Snake got up to the first rays of sun, as they penetrated through the window behind him. He rubbed his eyes and got into a sitting position, his leg protesting. He looked around to see the room empty except for himself. Beside him were placed a few tablets and a small water bottle. Snake picked up all of the five or six tablets and gulped them down in a single go. He then turned to pick up his shirt, he pulled it distractedly only to hear a small sound of something falling on the floor. He looked down and saw the revolver Ocelot had been playing with last night and a small smile appeared on his lips. Ocelot respected his weapons, and he never placed them on the ground, that`s why it must have been put on Snake`s shirt. Snake picked it up and opened it to reveal only one shot left. _At least it's better than nothing, _he thought grudgingly as he placed it in his pants` pocket and shrugged on the shirt.

Just as he got into a standing position, he heard some sound behind him. He flipped around and got into his usual stance, pointing the weapon at the door. The door of the room opened, to reveal Eva. His posture relaxed and he put the gun back in his pocket, she eyed him, her glance lingering on his leg for a little longer because his whole weight was concentrated on the other and his pants were marked considerably with dried blood.

"morning Snake," She said, shaking her head deliberately to make her hair wave across her shoulders, he didn`t know why, but this gesture always seemed to repel him. "The leg, I brought some bandages."

Snake looked down and saw Ocelot`s shirt still wrapped around his thigh roughly, "no, I`m fine." The wound was already hurting and he wondered if taking the fabric off would induce more pain.

Eva raised an eyebrow and walked over to him, eyes fixed upon the Spetsnaz commander`s shirt, "where did you get that? It`s Ocelot`s, isn`t it?"

"yeah," Snake went through the options, whether to tell her or not, after all, she had gained his trust. But he didn`t know what held him back from telling her straightaway. "Found it lying somewhere." He knew it was unconvincing.

She laid her hand on his shoulder and forced him on the floor, sitting down next to him, Snake noticed that the way she was leaning to him wasn`t all that necessary, "he didn`t return to the base last night, the soldiers were all dispersed in the forest searching for him." She paused, Snake eagerly waited for the rest, "they assumed you had something to do with that. Where did you get that shot?" she pointed to his leg, "it hasn`t got something to do with him, has it?"

Snake shook his head slowly, "the Ocelot unit did it yesterday, he wasn`t with them." Eva nodded understandingly and talked to herself, "he`s been acting weird lately, I honestly think Volgin`s been suspecting him to be the internal spy, _I`m _all clean. If he continues like this long enough, untold disappearances and all, I bet he hasn`t got much to live."

Eva didn`t notice when the other soldier`s breathing had stopped, Snake furrowed his eyebrows and stared into space. Ocelot`s life was in danger, just because he had been sneaking out to provide him chunks of information, medicines and weapons. He wasn`t listening to what the one next to him was saying till she got up, "…and that shirt of his, be sure to keep it on the wound when you get out, that`ll heighten the colonel`s suspicions and if we`re lucky, we might as well get rid of a legendary cat."

Snake`s eyes widened, of course, she was right, if anybody saw that shirt protecting his wound, Ocelot would be in mortal danger. His hand tightened around the revolver in his pocket, he wouldn`t risk taking it out in front of anyone too. Eva walked to the door after tossing a knife to him, "see you Snake."

"Wait," Snake caught the weapon in the middle of its dive and said slowly, "you said you have the bandages?"

"Yeah, I have. But didn`t you…"

"I want them, just in case."

Eva looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, took out the white cloth from her pocket and threw it to him before walking out. Snake wrapped the bandage on is leg after disposing off the shirt. He took out Ocelot`s gun and threw it at the corner where he had last seen Ocelot, it hit the wall lightly and fell on the ground with a small clank. He had the knife so he wouldn`t risk keeping it. He kept staring at the neglected weapon for another minute or two before sighing and getting up. He walked up to the revolver and opened it; took out the bullet and pocketed it, before delicately placing the revolver on a small broken wooden shelf at the side of the room. He sighed again, _He respects his weapons_.

The next few days went by with Snake resting in the same room, occasionally getting out hunting for food. As long as his leg wasn`t in any condition to support him, he couldn`t risk going out and continuing the mission because as told by Eva, the security had been tightened. He hadn`t seen Eva after she had handed him the bandage, there was no sign of Ocelot after that night too and Snake was mildly thankful. He didn`t want Ocelot risking his life for him any more than he already had. He received a hell lot of calls from major Zero, inquiring about his progress, it was out of impatience not concern that he wanted Snake`s wound to be healed quickly. Getting up one morning, Snake decided that he was better enough to go on with his mission since he didn`t have much time left, neither could he take anymore of the man`s numerous inquisitive calls. Just as Snake walked out the rubble of the facility, and under the shades of the trees, his microphone started vibrating again so he hunched over to answer it.

"Snake, how are you doing today?"

"better enough to resume." Snake said hoarsely.

"well that`s good. I wanted to tell you that the link of the paramedic has changed, you won`t be able to contact her. She`ll be informed of your injuries and will contact you herself."

"is that it?"

"Yes. Until next time."

"affirmative." Snake clicked it off and sighed, "You can come out now,"

A moment later, rustling was heard from the tree behind him, a black clad person jumped from the top branch and landed perfectly on his spurred boots. _Just like a cat… _Snake noticed.

"Did you just happen to be there or..." Snake stopped as Ocelot neared him, dusting his uniform elegantly.

"No, I haven`t been spying on you. I just thought today might be the day."

Snake started to walk on the mudded path casually, Ocelot beside him. "you know that Volgin`s suspecting you?"

"yeah," Ocelot kicked a stray stone in the path, Snake eyed him incredulously but didn`t say anything.

Ocelot didn`t know why he had come to him in the first place, his intuition had been correct and that`s what gave him the satisfaction, something had given him the feeling that Snake might get out of the sanctuary today. He was well aware of the fact that the colonel suspected him but he was on the verge of figuring something out about that. He knew he shouldn`t have risked coming here, seen with Snake like that meant a free one way ticket to hell.

"so, is there a purpose for our meeting or do you really want Volgin to clear his suspicions?" Snake asked, he was getting uncomfortable of the silence. There was a pause.

As sensitive as a cat`s ears could be, Ocelot grabbed Snake`s collar and pulled him to the ground with him, making the shot meant for his head to go astray. He turned his head venomously in the direction of the bushes at the side and aimed at them, before pulling the trigger and making a light dying sound escape through the person`s mouth as he fell to the ground. He then looked down at Snake`s uncomfortable expression`s below him, feeling a tingly sensation at the pit of his stomach as the blue eyes stared back at him, admiration hidden deep within the mask of annoyance. Snake furrowed his eyebrows in an attempt to glare at the one inches away from him, but it was awfully hard since he had just banked his life. Ocelot smirked at the pathetic attempt and got up, dusting his sleeve and pocketing the gun. He offered Snake his hand but the other just glared at him for a moment before pulling himself upon his feet, with the slightest hint of difficulty that had nothing to do with his healing leg. Ocelot retreated his hand. Snake straightened his shirt and glanced at the bush where the corpse now laid.

"you can`t risk being seen with me," Snake growled heatedly. "What if someone else had seen you do that?"

"no one did." Ocelot ran a hand through his hand awkwardly, not meeting the other`s gaze. In truth, he was a little worried too but was far from voicing it. Snake huffed angrily and turned away from him.

"look," Ocelot took a calming breath and took a step towards him, "I'll take care of everything." He paused. Snake looked at him from the corner of his eyes, feeling the anxiety weigh him down. He didn`t want somebody`s life to be in danger because of him, particularly if that someone was Ocelot. "Sokolov has been transferred to another room in the basement, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to gain access to him after all the suspicions Volgin has for me." That proved to be a virtual blow for Snake, now Volgin was limiting his access because of him. There was another few moments of silence before Ocelot met the other`s gaze, did his usual hand gesture and he was off. Snake kept looking in his direction long after his back disappeared in the thick forest, suddenly feeling more alone in the surroundings than he had been before.

*******************************************************************************

A/N: yara leave a review or two... i don`t mind. you know that these things keep most of us dragging on...


	3. Chapter 3

Eva turned up the next day, after finding out his location from his radio communicator, with a tranquillizer, it didn`t have much shots in it but Snake was still thankful. She talked randomly about stuff Snake didn't care about before taking out the weapon and handing it to him, "here, I thought you might need it." She was sitting next to him under the shade of a tree.

Snake took the tranquillizer from her and eyed it, "thanks." Eva leaned forward and Snake fought with the urge to push her back.

"is a dry 'thanks' all I get?" She locked eyes with him and winked, placing her hand at the side of his face and stroking the painted cheek. Snake turned away, not before noticing her eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"I…uh…" Snake felt guilt brew up inside him as he turned back at her.

Eva shook her head and retreated her hand back to her side, "you`re right, it`s too early. Perhaps next time then?"

Snake nodded distractedly. There was a while of uncomfortable silence before Eva said, trying to keep her tone out of disappointment, "Sokolov`s been shifted, I talked to him last night." She paused, seeing nothing but uneasiness cross Snake`s eyes. Taking it merely because of change in mission`s next location, Eva continued, "he says that he can`t do any more delays in Shagohod`s construction, Volgin is persistent." Snake listened carefully, "I wish there was something to distract him…" She paused thoughtfully, "Raikov`s been stationed somewhere else, I bet all of Volgin`s attention will be fixed on finding you and making the Shagohod now."

"you`re still in the shadows right?" Snake asked, noticing that he hadn`t said anything for a long while.

"with Ocelot stealing all the spot light, how can I not be?" Eva laughed, "I've honestly started feeling sorry for him."

Snake felt his chest getting slightly constricted, "don`t feel sorry for him, that might be the biggest insult for him yet."

"all the more reasons." She said and got up, "keep heading north, I'll try and meet up with you sometime soon." She pulled the helmet of her bike over her blond hair, after shaking them in her usual fashion; Snake was forced to avert his gaze. She climbed over her motorcycle, the engine bursting to life as she rotated the handle, "five soldiers are stationed two miles from here, better be careful."

"sure," Snake ran a hand through his hair, "you take care too."

Although he couldn`t see her face due to the helmet but he could sense her lips lift up in a self satisfied smile as she pulled the vehicle away from sight.

Snake resumed walking again. As mentioned by Eva, the expected soldiers were patrolling the area. He took them out one by one; the tranquillizer was needed only on the last two. He took care of the rest by the blade he was equipped with, not risking to waste his tranquillizer shots. Dragging the bodies in the shadows of the overgrown grass, Snake got up and clicked on the microphone to tell that to the major. He knew that now everyone would know of his arrival to this checkpoint but the guard was so good that he couldn`t possibly have slipped through them.

"Snake, I see you`ve reached the ion number two." They didn`t address the areas from their real names, just in case the call was being intercepted, ions were the assigned destinations.

"yeah." He replied, looking around to make sure the area was clear of any human life, "disposed off the guards here too."

Zero furrowed his eyebrows, he knew that the soldier was restless and wild, in his opinion that might prove to be a demise but he had been constantly proven wrong about the theory so far, "Snake now the-"

"I know they`ll identify my location but there was no other way, i`ll be outta here as quickly as possible."

"ok then, I shouldn`t keep you waiting any longer, be sure to wipe off all the trail and try to do the _slipping_ instead of the slaughtering."

Snake didn`t reply and turned the gadget off, muttering to himself, "sure."

He spent the next two nights in an abandoned shed eight miles from the previous location, just until the weather cooled down. It seemed as though the Ocelot unit had started patrolling too, but he hadn`t been discovered yet. He doubted if Ocelot himself knew about his location. The fourth day when he thought that the mess was more or less cleared; he decided to continue what he had started. Getting up from the floor early that morning he grabbed his shirt from beside him and stood up, he pulled open the door to see a pair of resolute eyes staring at him. He took a short step aside to let the person in.

Eva extended her hands and placed them on his chest. Snake took a doubtful step back so she put one of her hands on the back of his neck and pulled him towards herself, "hello, Snake." She greeted seductively. Snake tried to pull away but stopped protesting when he imagined how odd it might have looked to her. She _was_ providing him information, the least he could do was share a kiss with her. As soon as their lips met, Snake felt like he would have to push her away because of all the fervor she was letting out into the contact. He closed his eyes so that he wouldn`t have to witness her face so close to his as she ran her fingers through his thick hair, while his arms hung limply at his sides as he fought with the urge to rip her head off.

After what felt like an agonizing eternity, Snake pulled back, because it seemed if the matters were left in the hands of the woman, she would have happily taken it as a bigger invitation. After taking a hasty step back, Snake licked his lips disgustedly, because it might have looked rude if he would have spit out or wiped his mouth on his sleeves. Eva appeared to be satisfied nonetheless as she walked in, not at all bashful at her forward gesture. She beamed at him and he managed an uncomfortable smile back.

"I`ve got news, I don`t know how you term it as; good or bad." She said and sat down, patting the floor beside her so that he would do the same. "Ocelot is paying hard to gain back Volgin`s trust."

A/N: i apologize for the late update and for keeping you hanging... please review and lift up my spirits because you know you have the authority for that and you shouldn`t waste it... R&R... let me know what you think....


	4. Chapter 4

"Ocelot is paying hard to gain back Volgin`s trust."

"how?" Snake tried not to sound too interested as he sat down too, but a good arm`s length away.

"lets see, yesterday was a meeting and Volgin offered him to be his... uh… to entertain him"

Snake`s eyebrows rose, he knew about the colonel`s intentions, now with the major gone and all, he needed some replacement. "what about Ocelot? Did he say yes?"

"of course. Did he have any other options? I bet Volgin`s doing it all to keep a close eye on him."

Snake felt heat build up inside him, he kept his mouth shut to avoid saying anything that might give anything away about his aggravation.

Eva talked to herself more than to him, "he looked so out of place this morning, painful to look at. Honestly, he`s too young to be-"

"He slept with him last night?" Snake asked through clenched teeth, his hands tightly fisted at his sides.

Eva noticed his discomfort and said, "yeah but that`s good for us. I mean Volgin`s found a distraction, hasn`t he? Now Sokolov might be able to hold the Shagohod for a little longer."

Snake looked away, cursing under his breath. Hatred more than anything else he had felt in his life overwhelmed him for the oversized colonel as he imagined the young soldier under him. This was all because of him, if Ocelot hadn`t slipped out for him, he might still have the highest rank in Volgin`s trust, not to mention that he wouldn`t have been forced to hand himself over to the colonel.

"I`ve brought you this by the way," She searched her pockets, took out a paper bag and handed it to him, "I thought you might have gotten sick of eating this jungle stuff everyday." Snake set it aside without as much as a glance at it. He was not somewhat sure that all the frustration he felt due to the matter was induced because he was the reason, there was something else too but he just couldn`t put his finger on it.

"thanks." He sighed, looking down at the ground.

"you`re welcome." She looked at him thoughtfully and said, "What do_ you_ think is Ocelot up to anyway?"

Snake didn`t want to talk about the man, "I don`t know."

Eva shrugged and let it go, although it looked as though she might have enjoyed talking about the matter. She then got up to leave, "just let me know if you need anything." And she left with a small wave of her hand.

Snake couldn`t sleep properly that night, he couldn`t sleep at all, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was lying on the thick grass. He looked up at the starry sky and sighed, his hands interlocked below his head. He didn`t know why he was feeling this way, but every time he thought about Ocelot, Volgin`s face popped in his head. What if Volgin was doing all this to punish him? Snake huffed and turned to his side, his hand grabbing a fistful of the plants in sight in frustration. He tried to shake away the disturbing images and tried to focus on something else. He tried to picture Eva`s kiss, wondering if that might make him feel better because it did work in movies, but it did just the opposite. He was so ungrateful that a beautiful woman had kissed him and he was feeling disgusted at it, what about the other? He was forced to handover his whole body to the colossal colonel, and his even bigger vanity along with it. What might he be feeling at the moment? Thankfully, there was no one within a mile`s radius of the solid soldier to hear his growls of pain and anger as he punched the ground beside him several times.

The next few days passed as uneventfully as ever, Snake was resolute to reach the military base as quickly as possible and end this menace. There was no sign of Ocelot. He wondered if this was for the better, if not meeting him meant that he would gain Volgin`s trust back. Internally, Snake craved to see the young soldier or even hear his voice for that matter. He heard rustling behind him and flipped around, pointing his tranquillizer ahead of him. He felt like he might melt to the ground of the relief, there was no one in sight but Snake didn`t need to see him to feel his presence, he pocketed the gun and ran a hand through his hair, an involuntary smile tugging at his lips.

"I know you`re there."

"damn." Ocelot cursed and stepped out from behind the tree. Snake had to hold in a gasp, it had only been a couple of days and the soldier looked paler and gaunter. There were dark circles around his eyes, and a slight shuffle in his gate as he walked towards him. The smile vanished as quickly as it had come, replaced by a concerned frown, he noticed Ocelot`s once well kept hair all ruffled up like he had just rolled out of bed. The thought induced more of the sort and Snake averted his gaze from the one approaching him, trying to keep the hunger to slice the throat of Volgin from overwhelming him.

"long time." Ocelot said and blinked lazily as he leaned against a tree near Snake. Snake noticed just how tired he looked.

"why did you come here?" Snake looked around, making sure they couldn`t be seen by anyone.

"don`t sound like you weren't relieved to see me." Ocelot smirked.

Snake knew Ocelot thought that he didn`t know about his commitments with Volgin and he wasn`t going to bring it up, it was a matter of an ocelot`s pride. So, he went on for the obvious, "What happened to you? It seems like you haven`t been able to get a good night`s sleep."

Ocelot`s eyes darkened as he pulled out his revolver and started spinning it in his hands vigorously, "nothing. I`m fine." His tone was cold.

Snake cursed himself; it seemed as if it hurt him to remember the experiences. He shouldn`t have mentioned it in the first place, "uh…" he started uncomfortably, avoiding Ocelot`s gaze, but stopped, unable to bring himself to utter the next words.

"I know what I'm doing." Ocelot said gruffly, he was referring to their meeting.

Pain crossed Snake`s eyes and Ocelot wasn`t the one to miss it. He held his gaze and straightened up slowly, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. As much as Snake struggled, he couldn`t look away from the penetrating eyes, watching with uncertainty as the paler soldier neared him. His heart hammered in his chest when Ocelot stood directly in front of him after only a few long steps. They stood like this for another few moments, although to them it felt like a whole perpetuity, before Ocelot extended his hand slowly. Snake furrowed his eyebrows only slightly, not averting his gaze from the light eyes which held resolve mixed with hesitation.

As his cold fingers brushed against the lean cheek, Ocelot could feel that he was holding his breath. He ran them across the other`s face gently, Snake didn`t flinch but kept staring at him steadily, slightly confused. It seemed to him as though the connection only had effect on him. When he felt like the proximity would burn his fingers, he retreated his hand, not breaking the eye contact, and said softly, "you need to redo your face paints." he was aware of the fact that his breath washed over the other`s face.

"I know." Snake`s voice sounded low and husky as he blinked and looked away, breaking the contact that was killing him. Ocelot was so close that he could almost lean over and…

Ocelot took a step back, rubbing his fingers at the side of his pants. He noticed his heart beat was still far from normal but his breathing was slowly coming back as the distance between them increased. "I…" he ran his hand through his hair, making his already ruffled fringe messier. "I better get going."

Watching him do his usual hand gesture, Snake felt himself fighting not to lose self control. He didn`t say anything, just turned his back to where Ocelot was headed, for the sake of his and the other`s sanity.

A/N: man, this chapter has got me hyperventilating!

cool no?? i apologize if it seems like i`m prasing myself but i`m not... I`m praising Snake and Ocelot!

review and let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Watching him do his usual hand gesture, Snake felt himself fighting not to lose self control. He didn`t say anything, just turned his back to where Ocelot was headed, for the sake of his and the other`s sanity.

Snake felt better after the encounter, but his hatred for the one person had only intensified. Something unusual was happening to him these past few days; he turned his head at the softest of sounds wishing it was Ocelot, when in reality it would have been only some small wild creature or a soldier spying on him, only to meet his dejected fate after being discovered by Snake. Eva had shown up thrice, each meeting just as tasteless as the previous one, if not more. Snake had advanced over to ion five, only two check points before the main military gate. Each passing day brought with it a slight more of the weight he already carried. The tranquillizer`s shots had long been all gone but he kept the gadget with him, just in case he happened to pass someone carrying its fillings.

He kicked the body to check if the soldier he had just stabbed had indeed died. When there was no movement, he got satisfied and continued on the destined mudded path. He stopped when he saw two soldiers talking to each other, blocking the route which he was supposed to be taking. He cursed inwardly, knowing full well that the only option he had left was CQC, since the tranquillizer had given way. He crouched low in the grass to hide himself and waited for the two to disperse. Five minutes later, Snake was still hunched in his original position, giving a deathly glare to the two who were talking on and on like long lost friends. He rubbed his temples in impatience and advanced on all fours, stopping abruptly as one of them looked in his direction. He waited, holding his breath till the gaze shifted to somewhere else. After confirming that they were out of suspicions, Snake resumed crawling towards them.

_Shit. _A twig under his leg broke and earned him the gun points of the two as they turned to glare at him. They narrowed their eyes as they tried to recognize his face and as soon as they did it, their eyes widened with glee, "so you are the American dog!" one of them spoke, his mouth practically drooling over his catch.

"put down your weapons!" the other took a step close to him, "on your knees!"

Snake clenched his teeth and dropped the tranquillizer on the grass beside him, _at least it was of no further use to me_. He thought regrettably and straightened up to sit on his knees, glaring back at the two.

"empty your pockets."

Snake narrowed his eyes at them before taking out the dagger and placing it alongside the previously surrendered gun. During checking his pockets, his fingers came across the bullet he had taken out from Ocelot`s revolver, he held it for a moment, feeling the metal under his grip, before releasing it and taking his hand out, empty.

"Is that all?" the one with a slightly bigger physique asked, "are you clean?"

"yeah." Snake said gruffly.

They both gave him a judgmental look before deciding that he was telling the truth. Then one of them came closer to him, pointing his gun as he commanded, "hands where I can see them, get up!"

Snake stood up, wishing that all of this was just a bad dream. He couldn`t let his mission fail so easily. That would mean that another world war would start if the Russians got the proof that an American soldier had been penetrating their jungles. He held out his hands for them to see before placing them back at his sides.

They both came forwards and felt through his clothes, one of their hands paused on his pocket containing the bullet but then it moved away, taking it to be his imagination.

They grabbed his arms, each on either side of him, and started pulling him along with them; Snake jerked both his limbs away. Surprised by his strength, they let go, "I can walk on my own, thank you." He said coldly, dusted his uniform and adjusted the bandana a little higher over his forehead, glaring at the two. They looked at each other before one of them pulled out the handcuffs and fastened them around his wrists.

Eva walked out of the room, settling the fake glasses on her nose, looking forward to get out of the building quickly so that she might meet up with Snake. Unable to hold back her shock, she gasped when she almost bumped into the door of the room that had just opened when she took a turn. The door closed, revealing Ocelot walk out with a big disturbed expression on his face. He turned to her gasp and glared at her, Eva noticed that this was Volgin`s room. He had his shirt hanging loosely over his shoulder as he attempted to tuck his vest inside his pants and turned to walk in the opposite direction. He would have taken only a single step when he stopped abruptly and turned his head in the direction of the main doors of the building. Another moment later, when Eva also heard a little shuffle outside, he shrugged his shirt on and started buttoning it quickly, heading towards the door, Eva followed.

Snake had never imagined the base to be that big, he kept walking silently. Just as he stepped through the main metallic gate, his microphone started buzzing, making him curse inwardly. Sensing the vibrations, one of the guards pulled the wire forcefully out of his ear, scratching it against the side of his face, leaving a light mark on his skin. He threw it on the dirt and smashed his foot on it, looking mockingly at Snake who just gave him a disgusted glare. When the metal gate closed behind him, more of the uniformed soldiers started approaching them. Seeing Snake, most of the mouths opened up wide while they stood there rubbing their eyes to make sure he had indeed been caught. Even in such a critical situation, Snake couldn`t hold back the amusement at discovering all the terror he had embossed in the hearts of the Russians. He was brought to a vast ground in the sunlight, the main building was a few paces away, Snake lifted his eyes just in time to see the doors open to reveal Ocelot. He looked away, unable to bear the sight of the revolver. A couple of the scattered soldiers went over to a pole at a corner of the vast ground and a moment later loud sirens started to echo around the whole area, signaling to everyone that he had at last been caught. He looked down at the ground in front of his feet, aware of all the eyes upon him, hearing all the awed mutterings.

All the noise died down, making him look up to find a figure walking out of the main glass doors of the building. His teeth clenched and his already fisted hands tightened as he looked into those scornful eyes of the colonel as he advanced upon him, his gloved hands slightly emitting a light buzzing sound as electricity coursed through his body dangerously. Volgin raised his eyebrows at the loathsome expressions on Snake`s face and let out a low icy chuckle.

"so, the legend has indeed been caught."

Snake narrowed his eyes at the man venomously, feeling each and every fiber of his body craving to take revenge on what he had done. He tried to calm himself down, knowing full well that acting rashly in these circumstances would mean no good. He turned his eyes towards the face he had been avoiding and saw Ocelot`s head turned to his side, deliberately looking away. He had a sudden urge to walk up to him and force him to look him in the eyes but he shook it away. To Ocelot`s side was standing Eva, staring at him concernedly, he blinked and turned away. Snake turned his glare to the colonel again, forcing his mind to let go of the other face which burst in his thoughts as he looked at Volgin.

Volgin took a few steps closer and extended his hand to place it below Snake`s chin, Ocelot`s eyebrows furrowed as he turned to the scene, an uncanny heat building up inside. He watched with slight satisfaction when Snake narrowed his eyes at the man and jerked his face away from the grip.

"you`ll be fun to play with." Volgin said to himself, making most of the lips in the vicinity turn up in delight. "lets see how you respond to-"

"Colonel." Snake`s head jerked at the voice, he saw the boss making her way towards the crowd, she didn`t look at him, "I can take it from here."

Volgin didn`t back away, "i`m sure you can." He paused and looked Snake in the eyes, "But I want him to be brought to room 512 before he`s transferred to his cell."

There was a small pause after which Volgin commanded, "every body leave." The soldiers started to disperse in disappointment but the two guards standing at Snake`s sides looked confusedly at Volgin, "the major will escort him with me." Snake`s eyes rose just in time to meet the other pair looking at him concernedly. He kept looking at him, forgetting everything else around him for a blissful moment, but then he sensed Volgin`s eyes upon him and broke the contact, although he could still feel Ocelots eyes boring in the side of his face.

A minute or two later the whole ground seemed almost empty, everyone had gone back to there original positions, save for the boss, Eva, Ocelot, Volgin and of course Snake.

"Tatiyana, you want to come too?" Volgin asked amusedly as he turned to Eva.

She faked a false terrified but curious look, "yes, I want to see."

Volgin laughed and turned around, "bring him in." He said as he passed Ocelot, making the veins in his neck stick out vaguely as he turned red with fury.

A/N: yeah so i updated, please let me know what you guys think. It keeps me going. although this chapter didn`t have much in it and you must be hating me for getting Snake caught but uh... um... DEAL WITH IT!!

Bwahahaha!!


	6. Chapter 6

Volgin laughed and turned around, "bring him in." He said as he passed Ocelot, making the veins in his neck stick out vaguely as he turned red with fury.

Volgin walked in, the boss following, knowing full well that Snake was still on the hand cuffs and he wouldn`t try to escape without any weapons. Eva came up to Snake while Ocelot hadn`t moved from the spot. She looked back at Ocelot for a fleeting moment to make sure that he was not looking, then whispered, "I can`t stay too near, sorry." She turned around and followed the boss inside too.

Snake looked up from the mudded ground when he felt Ocelot near him, he noticed for the first time the anger marking his features. Ocelot glared at him, pulling out a revolver from his pocket, "what happened?" he asked, his eyes lingering on the side of Snake`s face and narrowing at the mark left there by the guard who had pulled the microphone out of his ear. When Snake didn`t reply, Ocelot lifted the gun to touch the tip of the weapon on his strong jaw and commanded, "Answer me."

Snake raised an eyebrow daringly, looking him straight in the eyes as he hissed unflinchingly, "make me." He saw something like approval flash in Ocelot`s eyes, but before he could even register it properly, it was gone, leaving Ocelot with an indifferent look as he pulled his weapon back, "you better keep up that attitude."

Snake just shrugged and gestured with his bound hands for Ocelot to lead the way. Ocelot walked up behind him and a moment later Snake had the gun pressed against his back, "walk." Snake could feel his hot breath on the back of his neck as Ocelot leaned forwards and whispered.

They walked through numerous corridors, Snake wasn`t paying much attention to the surroundings as he imagined Major Zero`s and the others` expressions when they would find out that he had been taken into custody. He sighed as they took another turn around the corner. Still, all of this dejection didn`t over rule his pride as he took each step with his head held high.

They stopped in front of a closed door and Ocelot opened it for Snake to walk in, feeling his heart sink as he wondered what torture would the other might receive from the colonel. The door creaked aside to reveal Volgin with his sleeves rolled up as he anticipated the two, the Boss and Tatiyana were standing at the other side. The damp room bore no furniture; the walls were of a depressing shade of green and eerily cold. Volgin walked up in the middle of the room, and looked at Snake in a way that made the grip on his revolver tighten as Ocelot removed it from Snake`s back and placed it in his in his pocket, never releasing his hold on its holder. Volgin gestured for Ocelot to bring Snake to him and Ocelot clenched his teeth, making a sharp pain course through his whole jaw.

Snake felt Ocelot`s hand on his shoulder, his grip was gentle and reluctant as he nudged him forwards. Snake didn`t protest, but made no attempt to accelerate the motion as well, as he let Ocelot guide him ahead. Stopping in front of Volgin, Snake felt a soft squeeze in Ocelot`s grip before he let go. He felt the air around him getting colder as the paler soldier took a few steps away. Some part of him wished that Volgin would command the major to hold him as he did his afflict.

Volgin raised his eyebrows as he took a step closer to Snake, he was pleased with the fearlessness in his eyes. that`s what he liked in people, and that`s what he had seen in the Ocelot commander. Not once had he been able to see the flicker of fear in the Major`s proud eyes, not even when he had been brutal, not even the first time. He raised his eyes to the subject of his thoughts and found him leaned against the far wall, looking away, his posture was stiff but his expressions held forced indifference.

"so, what brings you here? What are you after?" he turned towards Snake again. Snake didn`t reply, trying hard to stay calm, seeing the colonel`s face so near sent adrenaline coursing to his hands so that he might rip the skin off of the skull. He had to look up to meet his gaze since the other was taller, larger. Snake narrowed his eyes, willing himself to stop his mind from wandering off to another face close to the colonel`s. He couldn`t, _wouldn`t_, let Ocelot`s suffering go to waste. When Snake didn`t reply the Colonel grabbed the front of his shirt and jerked him roughly, "I asked you a question, answer me!"

Snake raised an eyebrow, expressions mirroring the ones he had shown Ocelot although the hatred and loathing had been absent then, "make me." He let the words ring before lifting his face ever so slightly in a self satisfied way. Anger crossed Volgin`s face as he tightened his hold on Snake`s shirt and dragged him to a wall behind him, forcefully pinning him to it. Snake grunted as he felt a thousand bolts of electricity run through his blood, making his vision blurred. Volgin lifted him a few inches above the ground from his collar as he charged more electricity into him, "answer me!"

Snake was vaguely aware of what Volgin was saying; most of his remaining power was concentrated on holding the screams inside and keeping a firm look. The throbbing was getting unbearable as each and every part of his body pulsated. The electricity stopped, Snake`s feet were still above the ground, and he was slowly starting to feel dizzy.

"you may be tough…" Vogin said, releasing his hold on his collar and making him fall to the ground, "but you are still human." He kicked him hard in his ribs.

Snake glared up at him, trying to focus on his face, before pulling himself up on his feet, each limb protesting over the action, since his hands were still fastened the act proved to be even more difficult. Seeing him get up, Volgin got more aggravated, "so you want more?" He grabbed Snake`s shirt again but this time he didn`t send in the electricity instantly. He tore open the thick fabric and pulled the shirt off, leaving Snake`s upper half bare except for the thin vest, which was torn off by Volgin after wards. "lets see how you take it now?"

His own body ached as he watched the scene, digging his teeth into his bottom lip, and summoning a drop of blood there, to avoid interjecting any moment. He knew Snake could bear it, he was strong, but could he, himself, bear it, the watching? He shut his eyes and turned his head in the opposite direction as the other let out a low wince, he could have given anything to exchange positions with him at this point.

After an hour or two in which Volgin kept trying to make Snake talk but the other stubbornly refused, he got tired and turned away from the ragged form lying near the wall, "take him away. No food or water for the next seventy two hours."

Snake could hardly register what was happening around him; just as the electricity stopped a new wave of numbness took over his body. He couldn`t keep his eyes open for another fraction, it consumed so much energy. He heard some muffled voices but didn`t care enough to wonder whom they belonged to. He just wanted to lie like that for a long while, till he`d get the energy to get up. He was forced to take the thought back when he felt a slow warmth coursing through his body, just as the other sounds died down around him, and a familiar voice said out his name.

Ocelot watched the backs of everybody disappear with clenched teeth, stopping himself with great difficulty from running instantly to the figure lying next to the wall, neglected. When the door closed and he was sure that Volgin was far from coming back, he made his way to Snake. He bent down, wishing that he was still in his senses, "Snake?" he patted the painted cheek, trying hard to keep the anxiety out of his voice as he looked down at his scarred chest. He pulled the hand cuffs off of the man and grabbed his shoulders to pull him into a sitting position, his back against the wall. He felt something burn in his eyes when he saw the soldier in such a helpless position, he tried again, "Snake, get up." His voice was chocked as his watery eyes searched the other`s face desperately for any signs of consciousness. He blinked away the tears that were beginning to sting and, without even realizing what he was doing, pulled the limp body towards him in an awkward embrace, giving in to his internal emotion and wishing that some of his strength might be transferred to the other through the contact.

A/N: nice toruture, ne? yeah so there was not so much detailing other than how they both couldn`t stop looking at each other... or was there?

anyway, i loved the hug!! Ocelot hugs Snake! wow... how reaistic is _that?_

review and let me know what you think... `k? i think its gonna get a little emo-tional after this chapter... okay i hate the word emotional. its gonna get a little hawt with Snocelot! how does that sound??

=)


	7. Chapter 7

"Snake, get up." His voice was chocked as his watery eyes searched the other`s face desperately for any signs of consciousness. He blinked away the tears that were beginning to sting and, without even realizing what he was doing, pulled the limp body towards him in an awkward embrace, giving in to his internal emotion and wishing that some of his strength might be transferred to the other through the contact.

Snake felt like he was on fire and his body stiffened considerably, he opened his eyes and saw a hazy room circle in front of him as his chin rested on Ocelot`s shoulder. With great difficulty, he lifted a bare arm slowly and wrapped it around the other as a response, not caring that most of his weight was still resting on the cat. They stayed like this for another couple of minutes, breathing with great difficulty as their pulse increased by the second. Snake had never imagined that he would be hugging Ocelot like this, although the thought might have seemed laughable to him before but it seemed just like second nature to him now, normal and as much as he hated to admit it, he didn`t want to let go.

Ocelot was too relieved for words when he felt Snake`s arm around him. He shifted the other in a comfortable position and then went still, savoring the feeling. He never knew that such a trivial contact could have this much effect on him, like each and every fiber of his body was ablaze. After it felt like the other might be feeling well enough, he pulled back, slowly leaning him back on the wall, facing him.

There was a short lived silence in which Snake tried to adjust his vision and focus his attention on something other than his aching limbs. Ocelot ran his hand through his hair uncertainly, "you alright?"

"yeah," he said, trying to sit up straighter, shutting his eyes at the agony of it. Ocelot didn`t say anything for another while, then backed away a little, when he realized that he was still considerably leaned over the other.

"I have to take you to your cell." He forced his voice to sound calm as he stood up. Snake`s eye brows raised in recognition as he took a deep breath and tried to pull himself into a standing position. Ocelot held out his hand for the other, Snake just regarded it with a considerate look before getting to his feet with the help of the wall. Ocelot`s lips raised at him slightly and he retreated his hand back. Snake leaned against the wall to make his breathing normal before he took a step away from it and waited for Ocelot to take out his weapon and usher him away.

Snake felt like taking a sharp object and start digging in his own limbs for food, his blood would work well enough for his thirst. His second night was agonizingly slow, with him all weakened by Volgin`s torture and now with no food or water. He tried with all his might to forget the empty stomach and fall asleep but was failing miserably at the attempt. Eva had come to visit him the very first night, being close to the colonel meant she could wander around the building on her own. To his disappointment, she had just brought her well wishes and concerns while Snake would gratefully have replaced them with a piece of bread and a gulp of water. The last he had seen of Ocelot was when he had left him here and Snake knew Volgin must have stopped him from visiting him. Now as Snake was leaned against the damp wall, counting on the seconds of the night as they dragged away, he hoped that Ocelot might show up. He didn`t know why but he couldn`t let go of the embrace they had shared in the torture room. Every time he thought about it, it seemed to him that he was reliving it. The sensation was so strong that he could almost feel the other`s body next to him, he could feel the presence so strong that it almost felt too real to be in his imagination. He could nearly hear the soft clicking of the revolver, relaxing his nerves, and he was beginning to feel grateful at his mind as his breathing started to become deeper, drifting him away from the scathing reality.

Ocelot closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sighing at the irony of it all. He had been leaning against the outer wall of Snake`s cell for about an hour now, since his entry in there was banned, and was spinning the revolver in his fingers slowly, hoping that it might help the other in some way. He opened his eyes again to look at the dark sky above, trying hard to forget what was happening for the sanction of this simple moment. God knew how he had been avoiding Volgin since yesterday, trying to satisfy him for an hour or two before slipping out and standing at this very spot. He didn`t know why he was wasting his nights like this, he couldn`t talk to the one at the other side of the wall, not because the guards might hear him, no, they wouldn`t be able hear him because of the extra glass doors at a little distance outside the bars, but just because he couldn`t bring himself to utter a single word at such an unpromising time, fearing a few exchange of the words might lead him to do something irrational and regretful.

"…_where were you?" Smack… electricity._

"_i…uh… went out for a…" another rough clutch at the side of his face._

"_don`t lie to me kitten." Laughter. Menacing laughter. "I need you here… in my bed…"_

_Grunts. Teeth clenched in pain, "argh..."_

"_i`m going to meet up with Ivan for the next week… you think you can handle it without me?"_

_Electricity… blood on the lower lip, "uh…" fighting back the wince, "yeah…"_

"…_good…" _

Snake opened his eyes; the sweat was evident on his forehead. He watched closely as the glass doors slid aside to reveal Eva, she beamed at him as the guard closed the door behind her. She was standing in the space between the glass and the bars, no visitor was allowed inside the bar. Once completely sure that the guards were out of ear shot, she groped her pockets and took out a small water bottle and a crumpled piece of fruit cake.

"here." She extended her hand through the bars. Seeing the food, Snake got up with shaking legs and took it from her, making sure that the look on his face wasn`t that desperate. It seemed to him that he had succeeded in masking his starvation from her because a small hint of disappointment crossed her features, like she had been expecting him to act more rashly. When he was about to set it aside, she said, "you aren't allowed this stuff yet, finish it up so I can take back the empty bottle with me."

"thanks anyway." He grunted, bringing the bottle to his lips, it seemed to him as if all of his vessels had been thirsty and craving even for a single drop of the liquid. He suddenly felt much better, finishing the contents of the bottle in a single gulp. Eva watched with slight satisfaction as he took in the fruit cake she had brought with the same appetite. Taking the bottle from him, she placed it back in her pocket and smiled, "Volgin, he`s going out of station today, to meet Major Raikov I think."

"for how long?" Snake looked up at her, slightly amazed.

"a week`s the plan. Hopefully if we are lucky, the major might hold him off a bit longer." Eva wondered out loud.

"is it any good for us?"

"not much, Ocelot`s going to be in command now and I've seen how the things go between you two." She rolled her eyes, apparently she _hadn`t _seen how things went between him and Ocelot. She told him that she was on the verge of devising the perfect plan for his escape, Snake tried to make a grateful face on that. After a while of other pointless talks, she excused herself. Before she was about to get out, she turned around and said hastily, "oh and I forgot, the Boss had sent these things for you." Snake looked down in his hand at the small chunks of the remains of the cake, as he looked up at the embarrassed Eva she said, "I had almost overlooked the fact that you weren`t served here." She managed a small humiliated smile, "she didn`t want me to tell you but I thought that you ought to know."

He just grunted as he dusted his hands off his pants, Eva shrugged shortly before getting out. Snake went back to the wall and leaned against it, arms crossed against his chest as he mused over what Eva had told him. Ocelot was in charge now, except for the Boss of course. Hearing this news, Snake felt slightly uplifted, maybe now he would get an opportunity to see him. But some part of him, which still thought of every situation from a critical point of view, hoped that the cat wouldn`t show up, if that meant that Volgin`s trust was retained. What if the colonel had gone leaving some sort of private eye on him? This all was leaving him confused and he was practically bouncing over the options whether he wanted Ocelot to show up or not. What disturbed him most was that why was he so concerned about whether to meet Ocelot or not, when he should have been thinking about some flawless escape?

The glass doors, although made of clear glass, obscured the prisoner`s vision, he could only see the faint traces of the hazy outlines. It was as though they were only a one way camera since the soldiers on the other side could clearly monitor his each and every move. To an ordinary prisoner, it must have been very difficult to distinguish between the forms but Snake was anything but ordinary, not to mention that he was far ahead from distinguishing forms when it came to his intuition.

He looked ahead and saw him talking with the guards on the other side, unintentionally; he felt his body become rigid as he straightened up just a little after seeing the glass sliding aside. In walked Ocelot with his same proud air around him, he looked up to meet the other`s gaze and smirked lightly, his thinned face lighting up a little. Adjusting the red cap on his blond hair, he inhaled; he had been wanting to see Snake for so long that it almost felt like a dream now. His eyes wandered on the drained face for a second before he took a few steps towards the bars. Snake didn`t move from the spot, he just raised an eyebrow at the other as he took out a key from his pocket and unlocked the cellar.

A/N: R&R people... let me know what you think... i know there wasn`t much snocelot in this chapter but believe me when i say that the next one`s gonna be one hell of a rock-you-outta-your-seat thing!

^_^


	8. Chapter 8

**Can you stay?**

_Its not so much in the words that you don`t say, its not when you act in your distant cold way, its more in your eyes how you look at me… like you no longer care for what see…_

Ocelot walked inside, deliberately keeping his face leaned towards his side a little, to hide the mark left there by Volgin the previous night. Snake eyed him suspiciously before taking a step away from the wall and towards him.

"how have you been?"

"I should be the one asking that question." Snake said, narrowing his eyes at the disturbing way Ocelot was keeping his face. "what happened?"

"nothing." Ocelot said stiffly, not meeting the other`s gaze. Trying to change the subject he took out the cigar he had been saving for Snake, knowing full well about his affiliation with these things, "here." He placed it in his palm and held it out for him, wondering how long had it been since Snake had his last one.

Snake furrowed his eye brows at Ocelot`s outstretched hand, then realizing what he was giving him, he could hardly keep in the urge to jump up in delight. So many days had passed since Snake had one of those, all of his supply from the states had long been finished leaving him craving for more. He could barely mask the gratitude that flooded his eyes as he smiled up at the paler one. Ocelot gave a small nod, his features softening at the look on his face.

Snake took the stick from him and placed it between his teeth, holding his other hand for Ocelot to give him the lighter but Ocelot shook his head, a light smirk in place as he looked in the confused eyes, "I'll do it myself…" there was a small pause in which Snake stared at him incredulously, "…for all I know you might use it as a weapon."

Snake raised his eyebrows as he watched the other take a step closer to him, till he was standing just in front of him. Ocelot took out the small lighter and lifted his hand between him and the other, lighting it to make the other`s face glow commendably in the orange light. Just after a slight hesitant delay, Snake lowered his head slightly, eyes still locked with the other, so that the tip of the cigar was in place with the lighter. Ocelot`s whole Body seemed to stiffen when he felt the other`s cold breath on his hand as he took it out before taking a sharp intake. Snake looked down at the cigar and then up in his eyes again, for a moment Ocelot could sense something in the depth of those eyes, mock maybe, but it was gone once Snake slowly straightened up to be the taller again, still uncomfortably close. Ocelot moved his thumb away from the set off and pocketed the lighter, before running his hand through his hair as an excuse to look away. Snake didn't back away; neither could Ocelot find the will to, they kept standing there in an awkward silence as Snake whiffed in the stick in his teeth, eyes slightly narrowed as he tried to figure out why was the other keeping his face tilted.

Snake stepped on the cigar, crushing the remains between his foot and the ground; he looked up at Ocelot and smirked lightly, "thanks." He took a step back, "I needed that."

Ocelot tried to act indifferent, glancing down at his hand as he spoke, "forget it."

Snake shrugged and went back to his place, leaning against the wall. He observed the one still standing there with a lost air and asked, "why did you come here anyway?"

Ocelot`s eyes came back to focus as he looked up, "Volgin`s gone." Snake couldn`t have missed the relief in his tone and the long forgotten hatred started to blaze anew, "I thought it was a good time to share some information." Was it just him or did Ocelot`s voice seem a little too exhausted all of a sudden?

"what information? And for cryin` out loud what`s wrong with your head?" Snake could hardly control it when he saw Ocelot head lean to the side even more. The other quickly straightened up.

"what?" Ocelot asked, desperately trying to keep his voice above suspicion.

Snake narrowed his eyes, although the light in the room was not ample enough for him to see the other`s expressions clearly but his ears were sensitive enough to pick up the cautiousness in his tone. He straightened up, "is something wrong?" it seemed like the other was hiding something from him.

"nothing." Watching Snake on the verge of walking up to him, Ocelot unconsciously turned his head to the side again, trying to hide the slight abrasion. "what I came here to say was that the shago-"

"nothing?" Snake was vaguely aware of what Ocelot was saying as he took a few steps towards him and ultimately he was standing in front of the other again. Ocelot didn`t protest when Snake lifted his hand to place it beneath his chin and move his head gently to look at his grazed cheek. He couldn`t control the hatred that flooded through his body, the longing to hit Volgin was so strong that he forgot all about keeping it a secret that he knew of Ocelot`s torture, "why that son of a…" he hissed through clenched teeth as he touched the severe skin with his thumb, so softly that Ocelot could have easily assumed it to be his imagination.

Ocelot hadn`t seen any emotion so strong in someone`s eyes, the anger that flashed in those orbs was almost radiating as the other`s gaze frantically searched his face for any other signs of the abuse. "it`s nothing." he said slowly, voice barely above a whisper. He didn't make any attempt to release the other`s hold on his chin.

Snake averted his gaze from his face to his eyes, expression`s softening unintentionally as he eased his brow, trying hard to maintain a hold on his self control. Ocelot couldn`t possibly have missed the change in his demeanor, that only made him more cautious as he furrowed his eyebrows questioningly.

There was a small pause after which Snake slowly lifted his other hand too, eyes silently asking the other`s permission, and placed it on the other side of his face to make Ocelot look at him. Ocelot didn`t know what to do, he couldn`t stop what was going to happen, couldn`t stop his yearning, so he just closed his eyes slowly and gave in to the moment, feeling his heart hammer madly in his chest.

Snake stroked the side of his face as gratitude before leaning forward slowly, holding his breath as he positioned his lips over the other`s. Ocelot`s lips were cold, numb, and the other was so gentle as if afraid he might cause him more pain. Inwardly, some part of Ocelot despised being treated like a vulnerable person but he was contented with that in this case, he knew Snake was more powerful.

He didn`t want to be like Volgin, he wanted to repay him for what he had done for him. It was only a small hesitant contact before Snake pulled back, not sure of what he had just done. Ocelot looked up to meet his gaze doubtfully; he searched those eyes for something, Snake stared back, apology hidden in the depths. Ocelot blinked and turned his head in the other direction; Snake retreated his hands from his face miserably and placed them back to his side. He knew that Ocelot would think he was like Volgin now, he didn`t want that to happen, knowing full well that what he had done was wrong. Ocelot sighed slowly before looking up to meet the other`s eyes again, he found what he was looking for and turned around, leaving the other standing there alone and dejected. He knew exactly what Snake was feeling right now, his every step caused him a stab in the heart, but he knew he had to do it before everything turned out to be more painful. This could not work out, never for them. It was with great difficulty that he opened the glass door, locking Snake`s cell behind him. He turned his head back to take a last look at the soldier who was standing on the exact same spot as before, his head hanging down and shoulders limp. Ocelot pursed his lips and closed his eyes for a moment before walking along the corridor that led out of the prison.

_I don`t know what i`d do if I ever lost you and all the loneliness I would go through, but if you wanna leave I won`t stop you…_

_Why do I keep running from the truth? All I ever think about is you._

Yeah so i know its a little too out of hand but whatever. i couldn`t come up with anything better. The name and all is even worse, but hey... lets just spare the poor author who`s been going through hell these days. no?

oh and yeah about the cheesy stuff, i would love some suggestions about the names of previous chapters and some random fluff. Have Fun! ^_^


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine: Limb to Limb

_find me here and speak to me, I need to feel you, I need to hear you… you are the light, that`s leading me, to the place where I find peace… again._

Hurt. That`s what Snake was feeling, anger too. Anger at himself for losing his reverence in front of Ocelot. He was angry for hurting himself, angry for hurting Ocelot. He unclenched his tightened fist and looked down at his hand, feeling a stabbing pain in his chest. He was forced to look away when his throat begin to tighten. Taking slow shaking steps, Snake walked towards the wall and leaned against it. Feeling a numbing sensation take over him as he sensed his legs giving way, he lowered himself into a sitting position. He placed his hand in the pocket and clutched the metallic bullet, running his finger tips against its smooth surface as the sky, visible from the window behind him, darkened.

He let out an angry growl as the vase smashed against the wall he had thrown it at. It broke into a million tiny fractions and scattered across the carpeted floor. Ocelot narrowed his eyes in an attempt to locate all the pieces but he could only see the larger ones. He growled again before turning away from the wall and walking out the door of the room. He was livid, seething with anger and it was all directed at himself. It was all damn ironic, so skeptic that he could hardly believe it. Snake couldn`t possibly have kissed him. Although it was merely a small peck but it had something there, something far more eccentric than he had ever felt. Something deep. He closed his eyes and fastened his pace through the now darkened corridors, he couldn`t take it any longer. He couldn`t, _wouldn`t_, impair the one in question any longer. He couldn`t impair _himself _any longer.

He glanced down at his wrist watch as he stepped into the corridor leading to the cells and cursed inwardly, six damn hours. He had made him suffer for six damn _long_ hours. He paused beside the door and leaned against the wall to hear the conversation of the guards inside. It was time for the exchange of duties. Knowing full well that two of them, who would have completed their duty, would be coming out, he took a step away from the door and slipped into the shadows beside the wall. A moment later the door opened and all four of the guards walked out, laughing loudly at something. They didn`t notice the Ocelot commander standing on the other side of the wall as they strolled away slowly, expecting everybody to be already asleep, probably to get a drink or two. There was no way the prisoner might attempt an escape, with all the doors locked, he would be under the impression that they were just outside, guarding. That`s what was the advantage of those glass doors was.

Ocelot pursed his lips as he extended his hand to open the glass door, feeling his chest getting constricted. He knew that whatever he had to do was to be done quickly, no one had seen him coming here and it was more than enough for him to carry out the plan. As he stepped in, he felt the air get colder and there was a sudden urge to walk right out but he knew he had to do it, for the sake of the one sitting against the dark, damp wall. He hadn`t noticed when Ocelot had walked in; he had his head bowed as he took a great deal of drowning in his world of dejection.

_Way to go John. _Snake thought bitterly, the only visitor other than Eva was Ocelot and he had 'successfully' turned him away too. Every passing moment brought with it another pound of the weight he was already feeling on his chest. This should never have happened, what the hell was he thinking? It was _Ocelot, _for heaven`s sake.

"Ocelot." Snake murmured slowly, looking at the hand with which he had touched the lean face, he could still feel the tingly sensations on the palm.

"yes?" Snake`s head shot up at the cold indifferent voice just a few feet away. He had to blink twice before accepting the fact that the pale soldier was indeed standing in front of him. Snake looked into those unadorned eyes, glinting in the moonlight, for a few moments, not sure of what to make out of his sudden appearance.

When it seemed to Ocelot that other was not going to stand up any time soon, he sighed slowly and offered his hand to him, much like he had done many times before. Snake looked at it doubtfully, not moving an inch, and then back up in those orbs, his heart welling up with relief. When Ocelot raised an eyebrow, still holding out his hand, Snake grabbed it firmly, letting the other pull him to his feet. For a moment they just stood there, an inch away, before both took a step back and released each other`s hands.

Snake looked away from the captivating eyes and ran a hand through his hair uncomfortably, "look, I`m-"

"follow me." Snake was cut off in the middle of his sentence by the still cold voice as Ocelot turned around.

He stood there and watched as Ocelot walked out of the bars, expecting him to follow. Ocelot peeked out of the glass door, then turned back around and glared at him for not having moved a centimeter. Snake`s eyes narrowed back as he realized what the other was up to, "no way."

Ocelot huffed and turned back, "come on, Snake. We don`t have all night."

Snake didn`t move an inch, just glared into the pair of orbs visible in the dark, "do you want to be _killed_ by Volgin?"

"no one will know."

"Volgin knows you are in charge, this all could be his plot to check you."

Ocelot grunted and ran a hand through his blond hair, taking a few steps away from the door, walking towards Snake. "i`ll handle everything."

"I won`t allow it." Snake said through clenched teeth, he knew the way Ocelot handled things with Volgin.

"don`t be an ass, Snake." Ocelot said irritably, he was a few steps away from him now.

Snake looked down at his hands, his voice suddenly choked, "I'm sorry." He said the words he had been working on so long that it felt almost like a week back.

Ocelot gritted his teeth and his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to get a clearer view of the face he had been longing to see. "are you really?"

Snake looked up, dumbfounded, as he tried to make out the meaning behind those words. Ocelot let out a frustrated breath and took another few steps closer to look him in the eyes, which was really difficult due to the dark. "_are_ you?" his eyes were narrowed and his voice barely above a whisper. He felt something smarting at the pit of his stomach as he waited for the answer.

"what do you-"

"fuck it!" Ocelot hissed before grabbing the collar of the other`s shirt fiercely and pulling him towards himself. This time he was in charge.

It was more avid then the last and all Snake could do was just bend there wide-eyed as the other pressed his lips against his. Ocelot didn`t close his eyes either he wanted to witness the look on the other`s face and was greatly satisfied with it. He didn`t know why he was doing it but it had _something_ to do with wiping off that mopping expression from Snake`s face, he couldn`t bear it. At least now they were even.

As Ocelot pulled back he could see the light coming back to the other`s eyes. He took a deep breath, feeling hard to calm down his breathing rate. After a moment of staring at each other doubtfully, Snake cleared his throat loudly and looked pointedly at his hands which were still clasped at his collar. Ocelot quickly released his hold, feeling his face getting warm, and the other straightened up thankfully.

Snake wiped his mouth at the back of his hand, while the other did the same. Taking a slow step back, Ocelot traced the back of his thumb across his lips and said, looking at the ground, "it- it meant nothing."

A faint hint of a smirk was in place as his heart raced, "of course." Snake said and walked back to stand against the wall. He was feeling extremely uplifted as though a hundred pound rock had been taken off of his chest.

"now…" Ocelot looked up at him again, "would you follow me?"

"no." Snake said simply.

"wh-" Ocelot stopped abruptly, his head suddenly turned to the door. After a moment he glared back at the other for a second and threw a small hunting knife at him. Before Snake could make an attempt to catch it, he took out a silencer equipped revolver, made an aim at his leg and pulled the trigger.

_You tell me that you need me then you go and cut me down…_

**AN:** Plum! look at the chapter`s name! haha... it doesn`t even make sense. Sorry, it had to be small with not much in it to appreciate but I promise that i`ll try to update soon. lol.

Oh and I`ve started another Snocelot. A million dead ends? *scratches head*

Its a little different than the ones i usually write so I`d like to know what you guys think. thanks for reading. I`d love a review! ^_^


	10. Chapter 10

**Trigger it with your blood**

"wh-" Ocelot stopped abruptly, his head suddenly turned to the door. After a moment he glared back at the other for a second and threw a small hunting knife at him. Before Snake could make an attempt to catch it, he took out a silencer equipped revolver, made an aim at his leg and pulled the trigger.

Snake grunted as he fell to his knees, watching the back of the Ocelot commander disappear behind the glass door. Only a few moments must have passed when he heard a little shuffle outside the door and looked up to find the hazy forms of the two guards at his night duty. One of them came to the door to check on him. Snake moved with great difficulty and wrapped his fingers over the blade of the knife a few paces away and pulled it towards himself.

The guard looked at him suspiciously when he saw him crouched over, he took a few steps closer to the bars and narrowed his eyes at him, "why aren`t you asleep?"

Snake just grunted again and turned his head to the side, the pain in his leg was obscuring his sense of speech. He could hardly utter a single word. He thrust the knife deep into his pocket; thankfully his sitting position and the dim light hid this from the guard.

"what are you hiding?" he had a thick Russian accent marked with slight uncertainty and frustration.

Snake was gripping his leg tightly to somehow ease the stinging pain, he knew that the bullet was still in his wound and he wanted the guard to go away so that he would be able to process it further. His lack of nutrition in the last few days meant that a loss of blood could prove to be fatal. _Curse you Ocelot!_

The guard took a threatening step towards the bars and when Snake didn`t respond he unlocked them and stepped inside, "do you have a weapon, _American_?" there was an odd sense of revulsion in the way he called him that.

"no." Snake`s voice was hoarse as he tried to get up. He had to clench his teeth to keep himself form screaming at the agony of it. Apparently the guard had seen the stumble in his composure. He took out a flash light and traced it across Snake`s body. It halted abruptly at the pool of blood at his feet.

His eyes widened and he called out behind him, still too unsure to step nearer to the wounded prisoner, "we have an emergency here!"

Snake cursed inwardly as he watched another guard step inside and look at him, horrified, "who did this?" it seemed as though his concern for Snake was genuine, only because their careers were at stake. If anyone found out that they were neglecting their duty for a round of beer, they would have to suffer the colonel`s wrath.

Snake couldn`t say anything, he just groaned slightly before falling in his own blood. His mal-nutritioned body had been pushed to its limits.

He waited patiently for one of the soldiers to tell him about the sudden attack on the captive. When no one came after a full five minutes, he started to feel anxious. Maybe it was a little too rash to have done that. But he knew that Snake could take it, he was strong, and he had his faith. Growing impatient, Ocelot headed for the door, he must have taken a couple of measured steps when his ears picked up footsteps.

A moment later one of the guards came rushing in, his clothes covered considerably with blood. Seeing the red spots Ocelot wanted to shoot both his own legs, what was he thinking, draining him like that? He should never have done that.

"he-someone-sir… the American- he got shot!"

"what?" hearing the news, Ocelot couldn`t keep the loath away from his voice, _he_ was responsible.

"yes sir." He started to lead Ocelot towards the medic`s office, "they pushed past us- we couldn`t do anything."

"_they_?" even if he hadn`t fired the bullet himself, he could have told with absolute surety that this was a very pathetic attempt at a lie.

"they, sir." He was panting as he jogged ahead, Ocelot`s brisk walk matched his pace effortlessly, "the native gorillas."

Even thought the anguish he was feeling was growing by the minute but the hopeless statement didn`t fail to amuse the major. There were no secret local army in this side of the forest, much less someone so well equipped perfectly trained to have pushed pass two armed guards. The mere idea of someone trespassing the military bounds was utterly laughable. Only one man could do that, and that man was already inside, being confined in its walls. They reached the office and the guard held open the door for Ocelot.

The medical treatment center of the USSR military was by far the most superiorly equipped but it fell into the category of one of the smallest clinics in the country. It had a ward for casualties of the war in the forest. The serious cases were treated here but most were sent to the supplementary, bigger, branch, since it didn`t have much room to hold in more than half a century. The total assets of the place consisted of an air-conditioned, high-ceilinged ward and a twin VIP rooms. Three highly qualified medics with six assistants did their work to the best of their abilities.

As Ocelot entered the ward, he felt the medicinal environment make him feel nauseating. The last thing he needed was to see Snake`s unconscious form with its lower limbs covered in crimson as a doctor and his assistant hovered over him. Noticing him walk in, Sergeikh turned to Ocelot and raised his eyebrows. The way his face looked, Ocelot assumed that he had been woken up from his nap to see a prisoner in the middle of the night.

"so you`ve been informed," Sergeikh assumed out loud before gesturing to the bed, "how long has he not had anything to eat?"

"it was a seventy-two hours interdict. No food, no water."

The medic knitted his eyebrows and shook his head in disapproval, "that`s quite a long while. Colonel?"

Ocelot gave a slight nod, remembering the Colonel was the last thing he wanted to do. The medic didn`t push any further, he already had too much in his hands. He was about to turn back to the bed when he suddenly remembered that the guard who had led Ocelot in was still standing there limply.

"why don`t you go out the door? You`re of no need here." Sergeikh suggested.

"of course." He didn`t make an attempt to hide the obvious relief in his tone as he passed an uncomfortable glance over at Ocelot and left.

Sergeikh sighed and went over to the bed for an examination. He had used some sort of gauze to retard the rapid loss of blood. He muttered something to himself as he took the pulse before turning to head over to the dispensary for some serious equipment. His assistant followed.

It took a lot more than what he had imagined for him to look at the pallid lying form. Now that no one was there, no one to distract him from the self loath he felt, Ocelot assumed with a great deal of regret that he might never be able to forgive himself for doing what he had. He took a step nearer to the bed and furrowed his eyebrows. He had almost forgotten how the dynamic face looked in the light. The impact of the dim light had been overwhelming.

He suddenly remembered the blade he had thrown at him. It was meant for self defense, if he needed any, but now it seemed that he wouldn`t be needing it anytime soon. He stood beside the bed and extended his hand to check his pockets. He came across a small object and couldn`t work against his curiosity to not take it out. Ocelot frowned; it could have been something important, something worth keeping. But it was only a bullet. He looked closely at it and realized, it was THE bullet. The one he had left in his revolver on purpose. He was sure of it since he knew his weapons just as good as he knew how to use them.

Ocelot couldn`t help but acknowledge the fact the something in his flat abdomen was twisting like a knot. He found it hard to swallow when he looked at the peaceful face and unconsciously, his hand felt the chain around his own neck. The bullet it had been adorned with was still there as cool as ice against his pale skin. And he thought he understood how Snake would feel if he ever lost it. Tucking it back in his pocket, Ocelot checked the other one and took out what he was looking for.

His mind had so much to wonder and the previous experience had left him half numb. His eyes studied the face, purposely avoiding the bloodied up garments, and then strayed to his smooth lips. He looked away quickly and took a step back as a resistance.

The medic walked in again, the assistant leading a trolley behind him. Ocelot straightened up and slipped his chain inside the shirt.

"I`m afraid I`ll have to dig out for the bullet and change his clothing." He gestured for the trolley to be brought near the bed.

"I`ll be just outside then." Ocelot said stiffly.

"you may stay here major."

"no," His eyes lingered on the other soldier`s body for a second before he faced the doctor again, "I need to make a few interrogations with the guards."

"fine. We`ll call you when we are through."

Ocelot didn`t pause to nod as he headed towards the door, without a second glance back. As he was about to step through the threshold, he stepped aside swiftly to avoid bumping into Tatyana who was charging in with an anxious expression on her face. As she saw Ocelot walking out, she glared at him and surprisingly he felt like he deserved it. Even though that didn`t stop him from glaring back icily.

_A/N: I`m sorry, i did it in rather a hurry so please keep it calm. i didn`t have time to give it a second read or come up with an appropriate name even for that matter. lol. R&R. let me know what you think._


	11. Chapter 11

He saw the four guards hunched over at a corner, discussing something frantically. They straightened up considerably upon seeing and saluted uniformly. He knew that the story they were about to present was more than absurd but that somehow kept him into the shadows, more ground to act inconspicuously.

He stood near the open door of the ward, unable to keep himself from taking a small peek back. He saw Tatyana standing near the curtains draped around the bed. He ground his teeth, when she leaned towards the hem, and looked away. When he looked ahead once more, all the four guards were standing in front of him, prepared for the questions.

"Report." He said stiffly through a tightened jaw. They couldn`t miss the chill in his tone and knew that they had to do their best or everything would get nasty.

Ocelot didn`t listen to the half of it. The other half, which he did listen, was just a babble of deliberate distraction while he waited for Tatyana to get out. The wound had been dressed as was the holder. He took a glance back and saw her hunched over the body as she bid her farewell to the unconscious form and drifted away, walking pass him and giving him a fleeting look of malice.

He turned around, holding up his hand as a gesture for those who were still speaking that he was done, and started at a brisk pace towards the bed near the far corner of the hall. Sergeikh walked out of the dispensary just then and yawned heavily.

"I`m about to call it a night." He said as he muffled another yawn with the back of his hand, "the sentry is still up at the ward`s entrance?"

Ocelot nodded shortly.

"Its not likely that he`d wake up tonight. I`ll see to him tomorrow." he turned to walk back in his private room for some rest. Then seeing that Ocelot was still standing there, he turned and sighed, "you can go to bed too, he can`t do something damaging anytime soon."

Ocelot looked up at him, restraining the urge to raise an eyebrow. "I wouldn`t take any chances." He stole a brief glance at the redressed drained form on the bed, forgetting the pain coursing through his jaw as its tightened muscles protested.

The medic shrugged before retiring for the night.

It was only after a couple of minutes that Ocelot sighed and turned towards the door. Ascending from it was the magnificent body of the Boss; a hard expression marked her features as she regarded him with a look.

"a Guerrilla attack huh?" she seemed just as skeptic as he was himself. There was no hint of humor in her tone as she passed him to stand at the side of the bed. Ocelot didn`t need to reply to that. She observed the other keenly, without touching, while Ocelot firmly kept his head turned in the other direction.

The Boss was fully dressed in her post uniform as if she hadn`t even taken it off for the night, just like him. From the corner of his eyes he could see hesitation as the older woman extended her hand and laid it on Snake`s forehead.

She didn`t move as she closed her eyes and tried to relive the memories with her apprentice as much as she wanted to believe that she could neglect him, she couldn`t. He was one heck of an enigma but she had faith in him. Even when he was caught by the USSR military, she believed that he would manage it. He had the potential more than any other being that she`d met and she had seen that about a decade earlier.

"Ocelot?" Her voice was distracted and her eyes still closed as her hand rested on his forehead.

"hmm?" He still refused to turn to the scene directly.

"I am giving you an official order to keep an eye on him," she paused and inhaled before opening her eyes and pulling her hand back. She then turned to him, her eyes detached and her voice still below the standards of vigilance that she used, "and an unofficial order to keep an eye for him."

Ocelot raised his eyebrows at her, turning to look in her eyes for the first time.

The Boss shook her head and looked away sighing, "good night Ocelot. I assume you`ll be staying here till dawn?"

"more than that." He muttered as she strolled away in the same swift pace, her blond hair dragging behind her, not really caring if the phrase went unheard.

Once alone, Ocelot felt the air getting colder. He strolled towards the bed and stood at its side for a few minutes, looking at nothing in particular. His gaze wandered across the figure, lingering at the wounded limb before he let out a breath and took a few steps back.

He leaned against the wall near the foot of the bed and took out his revolver, closing his eyes to distract himself.

He watched as the window behind the bed started to show the first traces of dawn. It was only after half an hour, he assumed, that the morning sirens began ringing as a wake-up call for the soldiers. He hadn`t once been annoyed by it, he was an early riser, but today felt a little different. He wanted to crush the damn thing into smithereens before it woke up the only other occupant of the room. To his slightest dismay, it didn`t.

The doors opened to reveal the two guards previously on night duty. They were failing at the attempt to hide nervousness from their faces.

"sir," one of them saluted, "you may rest for a while, we are guarding the doors."

"No." Ocelot said slowly, "I`ve orders to keep an eye on him. You keep the guard up."

Knowing better than to irritate the Major the two walked out again, giving a quick side-glance to Snake. Ocelot watched their backs disappear and detached himself from the wall. Just as he reached the bed, the medic, Sergeikh, walked into the room. His face seemed fresher than last night as he stepped into the light to examine Snake.

He frowned to himself before walking back into his office, only to return after a moment or two with a syringe and a small injection. Ocelot watched silently as he shook the injection container once before filling up the syringe and bringing it up in front of his face for examination. He narrowed his eyes at it before lowering it near the patient`s body.

Ocelot crossed his arms in front of his chest, suddenly getting a new found interest in the blank pattern of the high ceiling. From the corner of his eyes he could see the needle piercing through the skin of his arm and closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath.

Sergeikh turned to Ocelot, shaking his head disapprovingly, "you better get some rest too. I already have enough on my hands."

Ocelot was about to shrug it off when he noticed the medic`s eyes still boring at the side of his face. He walked up to a chair near Snake`s bed and dropped into it, "I`m good enough."

Sergeikh didn`t look convinced but didn`t argue either. He sighed and walked away, not in his office but outside through the main ward entrance.

He hadn`t gotten a good night`s sleep in ages. Extending his legs, he placed them, crossed over each other, on the other`s, at a distance from the wound. He watched as the other`s chest rose and fell rhythmically giving him some odd sense of relaxation inside. It felt like each second was dragging at a snail`s pace and the environment suddenly felt peaceful, his wasted eyelids heavy. He closed his eyes, sighing as waves of serenity emitted by the one lying on the bed engulfed him in a thick blanket.

Eva walked inside and narrowed her eyes at the Ocelot Major. She knew that he would be keeping a close watch on Snake so that he wouldn`t escape. His back was towards her, legs over Snake`s bed as if he owned the place. She glared at the form and turned around to leave, a perfectly planned visit ruined. _No worries, _she assured herself, _I`ll just drop by later_.

AN: okay so no Snake and Ocelot in this one.. sorry. just wait for Snake to wake up.

i don`t know what`s wrong with me. i don`t have anything to do but i`m still too preoccupied and uh.. lazy(?). i`m so sorry. i`ll try to update quickly. =S


	12. Chapter 12

Eva walked inside and narrowed her eyes at the Ocelot Major. She knew that he would be keeping a close watch on Snake so that he wouldn`t escape. His back was towards her, legs over Snake`s bed as if he owned the place. She glared at the form and turned around to leave, a perfectly planned visit ruined. _No worries, _she assured herself, _I`ll just drop by later_.

His eyes flew open just as he felt the covers shift under his foot. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the lying form to make sure that he had indeed moved. He saw that the ward lights were turned on and the window behind the bed was showing the darkened sky, _Damn. _He had slept through the whole day. Snake`s body shifted slightly again. This time Ocelot was quicker to follow. He retreated his legs, got up and started walking at a brisk pace towards the door. Taking a fleeting glance back.

Exiting it, he saw two guards, not the one on previous duty, standing near the door. He ran a hand through his hair, ignoring their eyes and left for his room.

There was warmth, slow and steady, coursing through his legs to all parts of his body, calming him. He didn`t know where he was or why couldn`t he open his eyes, all he could feel was a slight throbbing pain in his right leg, it was somewhat numbed by the other comforting sensation. He didn't know how long it took till he could find the energy to move. But as soon as he got it, he felt the comforter being taken off from his legs. He wanted to scream, he wanted it back, because as soon as he felt the weight being lifted the warmth started to disintegrate, intensifying the pain. He opened his eyes and tried to look around, the bright light stung and he couldn`t find the energy move his stiffened neck muscles. He suddenly remembered his last experience and judged that he was in some sort of treatment room.

His throat felt dry and he wanted water. He was about to call out for someone when he saw a shadow in the light, narrowing his eyes he saw a man with a stethoscope hanging from his neck. Probably a medic. He came closer and asked, "how do you feel?"

"water." He was surprised at the croaky edge to his voice. He tried to sit up, each fiber of his body aching in the process. Getting himself up with a great deal of difficulty, Snake took the glass being offered to him with somewhat shaking hand and brought it to his lips.

"I`m Sergeikh and I would appreciate it if you don`t try anything suspicious while you are here. There`s a patrol outside and it would be best if you let me treat to you without any extra attention."

Snake handed the glass back, "How long have I been unconscious?"

"eighteen hours."

He closed his eyes and let his head fall back on the pillow with a soft thump. Rubbing his temples, he didn`t care to turn his head sideways to see the one entering the ward.

Eva smiled to herself before nodding to the Doctor and walking up to the very edge of Snake`s bed.

"what happened?" Her voice had a slightly accusing edge to it and he didn`t like it.

He opened his eyes and lifted himself up again, leaning back at the bed so that he was half sitting. The pain in his leg was still unbearable. Sergeikh raised his eyebrows slowly and turned around for his office, saying over his shoulder, "I`ll be back for the medicine later."

Once he was gone, Eva advanced. To his great detest, she ran her fingers through his tangled hair. He repressed the urge to wince and she was mislead, "does it hurt much? Your leg?"

"no." His voice was still low and husky. Every word cost a dollar.

She nodded understandingly. Placing her hand under his leg, earning a wince from him, she towed it a little to the other side to make room for herself on the bed. Snake sneaked a glance at the chair longingly, if only she could have used that instead. She sat near his legs and let out a sigh as if she had been holding it in for a long time.

"now," She looked him straight in the eyes, "what did happen?"

Snake furrowed his eyebrows slowly, "I-I don`t remember." He did. He remembered it well. Each and every bit of detail. The look of determination in those pale orbs while they stared at him. The dominance as he took charge. The feel of those cold lips against his. The heat…

She seemed to buy it, "it`ll come around. How long have you been up?"

"Just now." he looked down at his clothes and noticed the change. He frowned and looked up at her again.

"I`d been meaning to visit you since morning but the security here is tight."

He looked at the main door and raised his eyebrows, trying to figure out how many people did it take to keep an unarmed, injured soldier hospitalized.

"Anyways," Eva went on, noticing his discomfort, "this is great," she played with a strand of hair falling over her forehead, "I mean now you are out of the cell and as soon as you start to feel better, we`ll plan something."

He didn`t know what to say, he was still confused as to why had Ocelot done this to him. Thinking of the cat brought in with the previous night`s experience again and he didn`t want to do the reminiscence right now. It didn`t do much against the knot at the pit of his stomach.

Eva felt the sudden stiffness in his posture and offered, "I know you`ve been hungry, do you want to have anything?"

His distant eyes focused on her face and he shook his head, "I`m fine." He wasn`t.

She sat there for a long while, saying things which she thought would prove to be somewhat comforting. He didn`t know how long had it taken till the medic walked out again, and Eva jumped off the bed. She straightened up and masked her face with an incensed façade, "We`ll meet soon." She turned around to leave, not before stealing a smile to him and winking before strolling away.

Sergeikh cleared his throat, "have you had anything to eat?"

Snake shook his head, although he knew that he might be hungry but he didn't feel like it at the moment.

"you can`t take the medicine then." He picked up a piece of bread from a plate on his bed-side table and urged it forwards. Snake looked at it apathetically and turned away.

Sergeikh shrugged, "I`ll just have to give you a shot."

"fine." He said and pulled over his sleeve. He watched as the doctor pulled out a syringe and filled it with a pale blue liquid. He rubbed Snake`s skin with an alcohol wet cotton and pressed the sharp needle in. As the contents started to drain inside his body, he felt waves of numbness wash over him, the light ahead of him felt dimmer. He tried to focus on the doctor`s face and asked, his sentence almost incoherent, "what is this?"

"Anesthesia." Sergeikh pulled the empty syringe out and threw it into the waste basket under the bed. He then nodded at the unconscious form before tugging his body lower into the bed till he was lying straight, and walked back into his office.

It was somewhat more disturbing, even more than the time he`d seen the blood. Because it made the other seem like he was dependant. Ocelot gritted his teeth as he crossed the distance towards the bed. A thin tube extending from the insertion on his left forearm ended up in the glucose bag hanging from the stand at the other side of the bed. He stood near the bed and observed the drops drip slowly, the pace at which they were entering into the other`s blood. He didn`t like it.

Sergeikh walked out of his office as if on cue and answered Ocelot`s unasked question, "he was refusing to ingest."

He closed his eyes in order to calm himself down and turned to Snake again, a slight glare in place. "when will he be waking up?"

"not before morning." Sergeikh said and walked up to take his temperature, "you`re staying for the night?" it wasn`t much of a question, just a statement of reassurance.

Ocelot nodded.

The medic looked up at him from the thermometer and raised his eyebrows, "is it a personal supervision?"

"yes, you can call it that." He sighed, not meeting the doctor`s gaze. Sergeikh shrugged and went back into his office, not sure whether he should feel sorry for Snake for having such a close watch out on him.

Ocelot sat back into his original seat and propped his legs up on the other`s. As he watched the fluid trickling down, he vowed to himself that he was going to take this damn thing off. Snake had his own mouth so why rely on something that meager? He narrowed his eyes at the side of the other`s face, getting irritated at his childish behavior. Pulling out his revolver he started the spinning again, pensively charging away another night.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

There was this same persistent warmth; the feeling was too real to be in his imagination. It had some odd sense of familiarity to it, like it was his personal radiator. All his.

To his great annoyance, what happened was the same as he had dreaded. It was over, the comfort was gone as soon as he had moved and he hated himself for that. He hated himself for having turned off his source of his ease.

Opening his eyes he found himself lying in the same room, facing the ceiling. He turned his head to the side and found himself coerced with an IV on his left forearm. He grunted and tried to sit up, glowering at the stupid glucose bag. He knew better than to force it off and face the consequences so he just sat there staring at the falling drops and willed it to move faster.

He didn`t know how long he had been unconscious this time but he found it a little irritating that Ocelot still hadn`t showed up. He didn`t know why but some part of him had hoped that Ocelot be the first person to tend to him since it was his fault in the first place. Also because he wanted him to. He shook his head and concentrated on looking at the pale ceiling. Not sure why he was secretly peeking at the main door from the corner of his eyes.

Eva walked in and he was desperately fighting the urge to burry his face in the pillow.

"what`s with the supplement?" She asked, nodding towards the IV.

Snake shrugged. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, "you refused to eat, didn`t you?"

"Its better this way." He said gruffly.

"oh no its not." She placed her hands at her sides and glared at him, "this will only cause delays."

"I know." He sighed, giving in, "but I don`t feel like eating anything."

"Well, you`ll have to change your mind about that." She walked up closer to his bed and nudged his legs aside, earning a wince from him which she merely ignored. She then sat up in her previous position. Snake looked longingly at the chair again. "Because this thing will be off in a few hours and we can`t afford another one."

He sighed again, trying to steer the conversation away from himself, "what about major Zero and the others? What is the USSR planning?"

"oh that?" he expected her to show apprehension but she was oddly at ease, "I talked to him just last night, he said that as soon as you flight from here, you`ll be sent a rescue. And no need to worry about an atomic war at the time at least." She patted his leg, in a way she assumed was comforting, "Volgin hasn`t told the government that the State`s spy has been caught," She grimaced, "he wants to have his share of fun before making it official."

Snake clenched his fists at his sides. Fun? Was that what he was doing to Ocelot, taking away the life out of him. _fun?_ He shut his eyes tightly for a second and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

When he spoke, his voice was harsh, unknown, "I`m sorry Eva but I need some time." She stared at him confusedly so he added grudgingly, "alone."

She nodded understandingly and hopped off the bed. Smiling, she bent down to him and kissed his cheek before strolling away. She didn`t notice him wipe his face roughly.

It was only a while later when Sergeikh walked in, placing a couple of tablets on the table at his side. He said that Snake would take them only if he ate something. Even though Snake had insisted upon making the drip a little quicker but the medic promptly refused and left him alone again.

Snake closed his eyes and tried to ease the creases on his forehead. After a while he felt himself considerably better. All he did now was sit there and wait. He didn`t know what he was waiting for but he waited. It was a long, very long, wait.

The IV was left one fourth now and he couldn`t bring himself to look away from the dripping liquid. He wouldn`t have been able to turn his head away even if a bullet was fired just a few paces but this was not the case. A bullet was never fired but his head snapped back to the door instinctively and he was not so much surprised when it creaked open only a fraction of a second later.

Ocelot walked just as lithely as ever. If Snake didn`t know better, he`d say that he looked even better in the light after all this time.

"a Guerrilla attack." The new comer said slowly, walking up to the bed. He eyed Snake from top to bottom, eyes tightening when they passed the wounded leg, before he dropped gracefully into the chair placed at his bed.

Snake raised his eyebrows at him. The other just leaned back in his seat and looked back wearily.

"how are you?" Ocelot asked quietly, trying to keep his eyes locked with the others.

"great." Snake muttered sarcastically before turning his head to the other side, looking at the drip again.

Ocelot was silent for a long time, thoughtful. He spoke again, his tone casual, "you could have saved yourself the trouble and eaten something."

Snake made a disapproving low and hoarse sound at the back of his throat, still refusing to look at the pale`s face.

When he didn`t reply, Ocelot tried another approach, "you know you can`t take the medicines with an empty stomach?"

"yeah." Snake said bitterly in his same deep husky voice.

Ocelot moved his head sideways in disapproval before getting up from the chair and looking through the options of things to eat on the table.

"here." He held out a wrapped sandwich to Snake, it was more of an order than an offer.

Snake picked up the commanding edge and turned his head to glare at him, he didn`t even spare a glance in the direction of the edible being held his way. "no."

Ocelot narrowed his eyes threateningly, "take it." He said with forced calm, "eat it so that you can have these medicines."

Snake looked away again, "why do you care anyway?"

It was annoying him the way the other kept looking away, "Snake," he said through clenched teeth, "don`t act like a kid. Just take it, okay?"

Snake didn`t look at him, he didn`t know why he was feeling so angry all of a sudden. It was painful, "what`s it to you how I act?" He spat each word venomously as he turned to face him, "if you cared so much, why weren`t you here earlier? Where were you yesterday? You could have spared me some of your _precious_ time and forced my pitiful body to eat earlier. It's not like I need any help from you now."

Ocelot`s irises constricted and his jaw flexed, other than that he didn`t show any signs that he had heard what had been directed at him.

Snake regretted saying that just as soon as it had left his lips. He could not bear the look in those eyes so he conveniently turned away again.

It was a long, cold, silence. Ocelot had the sandwich still clasped in his vice grip as he let out a ragged breath and took a step back to drop into the chair he had vacated earlier. He closed his eyes, jaw still tightened against his best of efforts, and took a few deep, calming breaths.

"Look," He began in a somewhat controlled voice, "it would be better if you could just make it easier for both of us and have a bite."

"easier?" He turned back, narrowing his eyes, "_easier?" _He gestured towards himself mockingly, "does this look _easy_ to you?" He turned away again and said coldly, "you can`t remove the mark by stitching a wounded limb, so I`d appreciate it if you didn`t try."

A small sigh was heard.

Snake didn`t look back, it was admirable how Ocelot had held back after his outburst. Who was he to decide if Ocelot should or shouldn`t have visited him. Wasn`t it enough what was already been directed at him. Guilt brewed up inside. It was probably the first time he felt towards someone an anger even greater than that towards the Colonel. Himself. He wanted to disappear, to cry out at the pain that was clawing at his chest. He was stiff for another while before he gritted his teeth and pulled out the needle from his skin harshly, ignoring the sudden jolt of pain it cost him. It caused a spurt of blood to escape through the opened vessel. The glucose kept dripping from the needle at the same sluggish pace.

Ocelot let out a vexed bark of anger as he flashed to Snake`s other side and placed his hand hysterically against the newly ripped skin. "fuck, fuck, fuck…." He muttered uncontrollably as he looked around desperately for anything to stop the bleeding.

Snake, on the other hand, was contented with what he had done, he deserved it. He was almost smug. What he didn`t deserve was the way the other pressed his cold hand against his arm, it was as if he wanted to absorb the pain in himself.

The hand still intent in place, Ocelot made a grab for the tissue box on the table and replaced his bloodied up hand with that, gently rubbing it with shaking hands. The cursing under his breath continued. He looked up at Snake, too shaken to form a proper glare, "what the fuck were you _thinking_?" He hissed, looking down again and tightening his jaw when he saw the blood trickling again. He kept muttering under his breath, most of what Snake did understand were abusive words for addressing him, while stroking the arm, his face constricted in a mixture of pain and anger.

Snake pulled his arm away from his grasp and looked down at the mark left there oozing blood. He then placed a tissue over it and looked up at a fretted Ocelot again, "I`ll eat." Ocelot glared at him, narrowing his eyes. It seemed like his jaws were glued shut. He looked down at all the blood mixed with glucose at the floor and another train of incoherent insults started to escape through his lips, this time Snake realized that he was cursing _himself_.

"What`s your problem?" Snake felt better after giving himself a piece of his mind and he wasn`t going to get it ruined again.

Ocelot didn`t reply as he walked back to his seat and fell into it like his legs had given way. He leaned back and rubbed his temples in agony. He took a few deep breaths to clear his mind before raising his eyes to the others, "don'-" he began in a shaky voice, "Don`t you _ever_ do that again." His voice held nothing but sheer helplessness and desperation, it was completely unguarded for once. A soft plea.

Snake just looked down at his arm wearily before holding up his hand from the blood and looking at Ocelot with raised eyebrows. "this?" he nodded towards the wet tissue, "its not happening again."

Ocelot took out a new sandwich and leaned forwards to hand it to Snake. The other took it and grabbed a small bite. It tasted like dry sand against his weakened tongue, for a moment he regretted having pulled out the IV but seeing the look in the other`s intent eyes watching him, kept him going on. He stopped for water after the third bite, drowning the contents thankfully.

Ocelot kept observing, leaning his back against the chair. After finishing half of it, Ocelot could see the reluctance with which he had gulped down each bite, Snake placed the rest on the table. If it wouldn`t have been necessary, Ocelot would never have made the other go through what he had. Snake closed his eyes and leaned his head back, "look," he began slowly, not recognizing his own exhausted voice, "I`m sorry." He said slowly, "I shouldn`t have said that. I`m just-" he felt a cold set of fingers touch his lips lightly and he shivered from the impact. He stopped but was too weary to open his eyes and look.

Ocelot could feel the hot breath on his hand and fought with the urge to keep it there even after the other stopped. He knew Snake was too tired to protest and carry on so he sat back in his chair and said nothing. When Snake didn`t say anything for a long time, he understood that the other was more or less sleeping.

Sergeikh showed up and demanded to know what had happened so Ocelot told him about Snake taking the IV off and insisting on eating instead. He wasn`t satisfied but didn`t dwell on it for too long. A janitor was ordered to clean the mess up which he did and left without a single word.

**AN: sorry sorry sorrrrrrryyyy!**  
i`m so sorrryyy that it took too long to get updated but i was going through the most important exams of my life. I posted this chapter longer and will be updating soon. forgive me and leave a review to let me know how you think it`s going so far. thank you for reading it. *takes a deep bow*  
sorry, again. i just can`t help feeling bad. but i just couldn`t help it. =/


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

He didn`t know what time it was when his legs propped over the others again like before. He leaned back and turned his eyes to the sleeping face, just as calming. The drug for his sleepless eyes. It was so easy to assume that everything was normal, like there was no war going on, their lives weren`t at stake, Volgin never existed and maybe everything could work out.

Maybe another night with him like this wouldn`t hurt, just another taste of slumber before it would be snatched away from him forever. Just another lick. _No Chance, _Ocelot corrected himself. There was no way he was going to risk keeping Snake here for any longer. The legacy had already been collected and replaced with a replica. If the other was feeling well enough to work for the plot tomorrow, there was no way in hell that he was going to risk his safety for his own sake.

He let out a frustrated breath, how was he going to survive without any distractions? Volgin could be back any day and when he did, Ocelot had to face him himself. Snake should be long gone by then. He should be out of it for good. _Volgin`s my mess_.

Snake could feel it again. The warmth. His breath caught in his throat as he lied there motionless. Everything fit. He opened his eyes slightly and saw what he had been expecting. He should have figured it out earlier. "so, it was you." He said slowly, shifting slightly to look properly at the soft façade. Slow and radiant as it calmed the air around him. It still worked wonders to his wound. He could almost feel the waves of stimulant gathering around it.

It was Ocelot. He was the one who had been here all along. All the time when he couldn`t see him. When he couldn`t thank him. Ocelot was his comfort, he had always been.

His eyes fluttered open as he registered the other`s voice. He sat up straighter, ran a hand through his muffled hair and prepared to pull his legs back.

"please." Snake spoke hoarsely, urging him to keep them there.

Ocelot stopped and frowned up at the other, not sure if he had heard right. "don`t move." Snake ordered. Ocelot stared at him for another minute before looking up at the window behind his bed. It was still dark outside. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back at the seat, "yes." he said softly.

Snake closed his eyes too, "telling me wouldn`t have hurt."

Ocelot smirked to himself, "take your rest." He dismissed the topic.

A while later, when Ocelot wasn`t sure whether he was sleeping or awake, he heard his name, in a pliable but guarded voice.

"Ocelot?" Snake wished he was still asleep, he watched with concerned eyes as the lean form breathed deeply.

"hmm…?" His eyebrows rose slightly, despite the fact that his eyes were still closed.

"good night."

He sighed, shutting his eyes too. He never knew that saying a small expression like that would ever make him feel this contented.

He was dragged out of his sleep as soon as he felt the legs above him shuffle and then move away. He grunted slightly and turned his back to Ocelot, keeping his eyes closed stubbornly. He didn`t know how much time had passed.

Sergeikh walked up to where the patient was sleeping and looked up at Ocelot who was standing near the foot of the bed with his back leaned to the wall. Sometimes it really made him wonder how patiently the major dealt with the American spy. He was well accustomed to the major`s temperament so it surprised him a lot to see sheer concern in his eyes whenever he looked at the other. He couldn`t fail to wonder if Ocelot was really playing his role as the personal guard. If the security around the prisoner was so tight, couldn`t he just order a dozen of other soldiers to keep an eye on him and put himself at liberty.

He shrugged as he put the stethoscope at Snake`s back, _I guess its not in my place to decide. _The breathing rate was fairly normal so he pulled the device back.

The breakfast he had ordered was brought to them and he eyed it for confirmation, "the morning medicines are due after breakfast." He nodded at the side table where he had placed the tablets, then he glanced at his wrist watch before turning around, "and it has to be sometime soon. The gap between the dosages has to be maintained."

Ocelot was pulled out of his thoughts as he watched the medic leave the room. He glanced at the additions on the table before sighing and walking up to them. He shuffled through the unappetizing dry bread and stuff before halting at a box of wheat biscuits. He eyed it, reading the contents carefully.

He ripped the box open in one fluent motion and pulled out one of the large biscuits. He sniffed it lightly before taking a small bite. It tasted fine. He placed the rest of the biscuit back and put the box on the table. This would have to work for the breakfast.

He stared at Snake`s back for another few seconds before letting out a breath and saying slowly, "you would have to work better than that."

Snake`s body relaxed and he turned around slowly. His leg hurt but he knew better than to complain about it. He helped himself into a sitting position and looked around. Ocelot was going through the things placed on his side table.

"here." Ocelot handed him the box of biscuits he had tested earlier. Snake looked at it doubtfully. It seemed as though he was going to reject it for a moment but the hesitation was only short lived after which he extended his hand and took the package from him.

Snake took out a biscuit and was about to bring it to his mouth when he stopped to look at Ocelot`s face. "What about you?"

Ocelot looked away, "I`m not hungry."

There was a small pause in which Snake`s eyes narrowed, he glared at Ocelot for a moment before putting the box back at the table, "neither am I."

Ocelot huffed and ran a hand through his hair; he hated it when Snake got all childish and unbending. He took the pack and thrust it back to Snake before turning around to leave, "I`ll be back." He said coldly and walked towards the door. He paused near it and turned his head to the side to look at Snake form the corner of his eyes, "and finish it up."

Snake watched as his back disappeared behind the door. He was about to turn to his food since he suddenly felt his stomach grumbling, when he saw the door open again.

Eva had a sort of crazed look on her face as she stumbled in, "I`ve been waiting outside for about an hour now. What does he think he is?" She advanced on him. "staying here and ruining our plans of escape. I heard that Volgin`s cutting the trip short but this chance will be long gone if that ocelot doesn`t let his guard down. You need to get out of here." Snake was doubtful. The biscuit in his hand was mid way to his mouth. He didn`t know what to say.

"we need to get rid of Ocelot. He doesn't even let me plan it with you properly! What do you suppose can keep him out of the way?" she ranted on and on like Snake wasn`t even there. Snake watched her, taking a small bite out of an already bitten biscuit but he didn`t mind. "if I could just put a shot through his head maybe then he`d understa-"

"whoa!" Snake choked on the piece in his mouth, "what`s wrong Eva?"

She turned to him then sat up on his bed like she always did. She looked at the doctor`s door to make sure he wasn`t listening, then she began slowly, "I`ve retreated the legacy. Talked to Major Zero. You have to get out. The only problem`s Ocelot. How do we get rid of him?"

Snake shook his head, "I don`t think that he might be such a big problem."

"He`s the _only_ problem here." She seethed. Something told Snake that she wanted to get back on him for using up all her time with Snake. "if he doesn`t step aside manly then I`d have to make him do it!"

Snake was skeptic as he took a sip of water and watched her brain fry. "Exactly what do you mean by that?"

She smiled at him flirtatiously and battered her eyelashes, "my charm works Snake. It has to."

Snake choked again, this time it was to gulp the big lump in his mouth. He furrowed his eyebrows quickly in an attempt to keep in the burst of laughter that was flooding, "yes." he said, blinking back the tears of humor in his eyes as he desperately looked around for a refill in his glass of water, "you should give it a try." He didn`t meet her gaze, Eva happily assumed that her charm worked on _him_ perfectly.

"I know he might be a little difficult but he`s still a man." She assured herself.

Snake chuckled softly, wishing there could be some way in which he would witness the drama that was going to follow. Eva went on explaining how perfect her plan was, with Ocelot out of the way, there was nothing that could possibly hold back Snake from the immaculate plan that she`d come up with.

"there`s your chance." He urged, trying to put in real enthusiasm, just as soon as he felt Ocelot`s presence at the other side of the main door. Eva got up, all flustered as she ran a hand through her hair and headed towards the door.

"Break a leg." Snake muttered under his breath as she opened the door and exited, "or he will break it for you."

**A/N: Here`s an update for you guys. =)  
thanks for reading. i take too long and still some of you stick on. i loave youh. **

**also, I just read this chapter (after more than a year) and i was like, "uh... *stare stare stare* wow, is my writing a little too disrupted."**

**but i didn`t have the time to alter or amend it. sorry. bear with me. REVIEW...? :D **


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

Ocelot strolled in front of the door and looked down at his wrist watch impatiently. Snake had better finished his breakfast, it was getting late for his medicines. He heard a little shuffle from inside and then Tatiyana walked out, adjusting her glasses.

She shook her hair over her shoulders and stared at him, standing in the door way. He could have been easily able to discard the awfully revolting look that she was giving him only if she wasn`t standing in his way. He took a step back to give her room so that she might be off but she took a step towards him. Smiling a little, as if pleased with that gesture. Ocelot looked around irritably; none of the guards seemed to be paying attention. He looked at her to find her another step closer to him. This was getting annoying.

"can we talk Ocelot?" there was something in the way she said his name, like she was licking at a strip of melting butter, impatient but cautioned, "_privately?_"

He frowned and tried to peek inside the ward from behind her, it was no use. His eyes adjusted on hers again and he nodded shortly before heading towards his room with his same brisk but reluctant pace.

Snake didn`t know how long had it taken, ten minutes? Fifteen? An hour?

He was staring at his hands when he heard the door open and then close lightly. He turned his head to the direction and watched closely as Ocelot walked in, totally forgetting what he had been waiting for all this time. Ocelot`s slightly shifted gait and a forcefully calm demeanor didn`t help much to wipe the slight smirk from Snake`s face as he leaned back to the pillow and watched carefully, not to mention his pale face all but dripping crimson in fury that was blowing through him in waves with every breath he took. Snake was amused.

Ocelot didn`t meet his gaze, he walked up to him like a robot and started pouring some water in an empty glass mechanically. He opened the drawer and took out the set of tablets and capsules for Snake. He did everything silently and precisely while Snake watched amusedly. That façade could have been able to fool anyone, _anyone _but him. Snake noted the tightened jaw into which Ocelot was putting loads of efforts for going by unnoticed and the way he gripped the glass, as if afraid he might reduce it into smithereens if his hold got any tighter. Looking closely Snake could make out a faint darker version of red near his mouth; the skin was slightly roughened as if wiped a dozen times to erase the trace. He shook his head, humor still evident in his eyes.

"here." Ocelot held out the medicines for him and handed him the glass, still refusing to meet his gaze.

Snake gulped them down and placed the glass back, "what happened?" He wished that the mock was absent in his tone.

Ocelot looked up at him for the first time after his return and Snake couldn`t control the laughter that escaped through his lips. He could almost feel the other radiating heat. He laughed for almost a whole minute before recomposing himself and looking uncomfortably at Ocelot`s vexed face.

That was it! Something in Ocelot`s mind gave way and every pillar of sanity that he had built came tumbling down as soon as Snake stopped snickering and glanced at him, "that-she-your-Tatiyana!" He broke out and Snake`s jaw hung open at the loath he used. He started letting out incoherent words, wiping his mouth off on the rough garment of his sleeve again, "She tried to- that bitch!" he looked accusingly at Snake, "what is _wrong_ here?"

Snake shrugged, then remembered something, "you didn`t hurt her, did you?"

"hurt _her?" _Ocelot`s eyes narrowed, "sure, you would care about your _girl_friend." He rubbed his hand across his mouth in disgust, "what a slut! She had it coming and I could have given her a piece of my mind. She was this close to having it-" he held out his forefinger and thumb almost touching, "_this _close…" it seemed like he really regretted letting her go unharmed, "and then she mentions _you_! For heaven`s sake Snake, you know I would have helped you out." And for a second there Snake could feel his throat getting constricted at the way Ocelot`s voice broke in the end. Ocelot was hurt. There was a great deal of pain as he stared into Snake`s eyes for assurance, "what do you think I've been doing here from the day you set foot on this land?"

chapter

Snake choked, on plain air this time, "hey…" He tried to wonder when the humor had disappeared from the entire situation, "I trust you. I just thought it was comical, her trying to seduce you and all. You needed a time out."

"and I would get a break with _her?_" Ocelot`s voice was bitter with an edge to it as he tried his hardest to not get angry at Snake.

"why not?" Snake raised his eyebrows, "what`s wrong with _her_?"

"never mind." Ocelot looked away and sighed, perfectly masking his irritation over the question.

There was silence. A long stretched silence. Ocelot had dropped into the chair, his usual spot and was spinning his revolver vigorously in his grip. An action clearly depicting that he was thinking. Deeply.

"Ocelot?"

"hmm…?" He didn`t look at the other`s face and said distractedly, still looking into space.

Snake cleared his throat before saying, "I need to take a bath."

The revolver in his hand stopped abruptly and he turned his head to look at Snake, "what?"

"I need to take a shower. I feel like I might not get this opportunity soon."

Ocelot furrowed his eyebrows. He thought before answering, "can it wait till dusk?"

Snake nodded.

It was noon in no time. He didn`t go out, one: because he was afraid he might encounter Tatiyana on his way and two: because he knew that these might be the last few hours he would spend with the other, taking in count his plan and Snake`s return to the states after that, so he wanted to savor the most from the chance.

Getting Snake to eat lunch wasn`t nearly as hard. He was somewhat glad that the other was feeling better. The plan in his mind had taken another edge. He also mentioned Snake`s desire for a shower to Sergeikh. The medic was skeptic as to why would he need it with a wounded limb but Ocelot ran him out. He always did.

Ocelot explained his plan to Snake as the other sat their motionless, taking in each and every detail. "I would have to go out so that Tatiyana can give you the legacy." He said it without any emotion, almost professionally, as if the thing in the morning hadn`t even happened. He was abruptly brought out of his thoughts, his piercing eyes boring into Snake`s, "do you think you can walk that far?"

"yeah, I think so." Snake looked down at his leg and pressed his fingers near the wound. It still hurt severely, although some of the harshness of pain was muted, but he was far from showing it. Something crossed Ocelot`s face when Snake looked up to meet his gaze and shrugged, "its better." He didn`t believe him.

Ocelot pursed his lips but didn`t comment. He looked down at his wrist watch and then up at him again, "I`ll have a word with Sergeikh." He got up just as gracefully as ever and was off to the medic`s office.

It was only a while later that he walked out. He didn`t look at Snake as he walked pass the bed and straight out the main door.

Eva came in just as soon as Ocelot left, she was a little bashful but there was smugness masked over her demeanor. "how are you Snake?" She asked in her sugary voice as she neared his bed.

"I`m uh…" he looked down at his leg and then up at her, managing to smile, "better."

She bought it, "that`s good. It`s confirmed that your breakout has to be tonight. I…" She paused, looking for the right words, "I negotiated with Ocelot and he was a little stubborn but it`ll work out just fine, I`ll just have to keep him busy for another few minutes till you-"

"wait." Snake held out his hand to stop her, "Ocelot was a little _stubborn_?" He raised his eyebrows incredulously but then shook away the humor from his voice, "He`s not going to be a problem and you don`t have to uh… _negotiate _with him again."

"what do you mean?" Eva glared at him, "how are you going to work out then?"

"I just need the legacy. I`ll get rid of him myself." He tried to sound like he wanted some personal revenge from the spetsnaz major. Eva bought it again.

She nodded, "if you say so. Listen," she added more seriously, digging her pockets for something, "if you need help, you can contact me through this." She handed him a radio transmitter, almost the size of a wrist watch. "it`ll not work for far off distances but till you`re on this land, we can use it." Snake was grateful. But he didn`t know why he started feeling sorry for her all of a sudden. She was doing all in her will to help him, mostly because he thought she felt a thing for him. But he was hollow, he didn`t even feel the slightest for Eva, other than being thankful and a little sorry. Nothing.

She walked up to sit on his bed like before and stared down at her hands.

"thank you Eva." He said slowly, pocketing the communicator. "Thank you very much." His voice reflected his thoughts, he really was grateful.

Eva looked up at him and smiled sadly, "this is going to be the last of it then?"

"why?"

"a flight will be waiting for you in the forest when you get out. Your mission is over Snake." She said gravely, holding out the silicon chip for him, the legacy.

Snake couldn`t form proper words. Surely he was expecting this, he was even looking forward to his return but hearing it was something different. Something real.

"what about you?"

"I have to set a few records straight here first." She pretended to shrug, "I`ll meet you in a couple of years." She waited for him to comment but he didn`t so she continued, "I wish we could be more than just mission companions." The fervor in her voice made his throat burn because he knew she couldn`t be anything more to him. That was it.

Eva leaned in and Snake closed his eyes involuntarily, turning to the limp that had kissed her earlier. Only this time it was difficult, more painful. The last time had been his first time; he had nothing to compare it with. Now as their lips met, Snake couldn't help but wish she was someone else. Someone less fervent yet more, much more, engaging. He tried to shake the thought away, even gave himself a mental kick for it but it didn`t stop him from lying there motionless, indifferent if not repelled.

A/N: i`m sorry for the delay. =(

please review.


End file.
